Judgment
by Raivon
Summary: The Connors find themselves fighting an impossible adversary and must rely on old enemies for help. Meanwhile, Cameron struggles to understand what is happening to her. John/Cameron romance. Sequel to Harbinger. Part 4/5. Please Review.
1. Child Of My Makers

**Chapter 01: Child of My Makers**

ARIZONA (DISUSED STORAGE DEPOT)

-MONITORING…

-ALERT: UNAUTHORISED PRESENCE DETECTED

-ACTION: TERM- ERROR!! ERROR!! SYSTEM OVERLOAD!! SHUTTING DOWN!!!

The T-888's entire body twitched as 10,000 volts coursed through its circuits, disrupting every organised thought in a cacophony of raw electricity. The machine's consciousness faded into nothing, its head-up display dissolving into pixels before becoming nothing as darkness took hold. The Triple-8's legs buckled and it dropped to the dirt floor with a crunching thud where it lay motionless.

Sophie peered around the side of the crate and let out a sigh of relief as her plan proved successful.

Dropping the stun gun, she tip-toed over the prone machine and gripped the lock and chain with both hands. Sophie tugged at the chain as hard as she could and felt her muscles strain with the effort, but try as she might, it refused to give. She growled in frustration and placed a foot on the crate door for leverage. Infiltrators were known for their almost supernatural strength, but even Sophie knew her breed had its limits. This was a machine's job.

She tightened her grip and pulled harder, gritting her teeth and placing her other foot on the door. Suspended as she was, the chain could no longer fight the strain and a weak link snapped, releasing its hold on the doors. Sophie flew back onto the ground, landing hard on her backside and letting out a grunt in undignified agony. After a moment, Sophie got back to her feet and removed the chain completely, allowing her to wrench the doors open.

She almost smiled at the sight of Jason and Cameron, still chained to the wall, but the dark looks they wore promised her pain and suffering if she did. Putting this aside, Sophie grabbed a chain-cutter from the far wall, placed there by Daniel to taunt the prisoners, and immediately attacked Jason's binds.

"What are you doing?" he growled, his face awash in suspicion as his eyes darted to the disabled T-888 outside.

Sophie sliced through the first chain, releasing Jason's right arm before pulling him into a short kiss; "Just shut up and hold still", she then replied. Sophie placed the cutters onto the other chain and squeezed with all of her might, and a few seconds later the link snapped and Jason broke free, rubbing his wrists which had become sore from constriction.

"You're welcome", Sophie smirked, rushing over to Cameron and cutting through the first chain. The second it was severed, however, Cameron lunged forward and grasped Sophie by the neck, holding her aloft and crushing her larynx. _Oh crap_, Jason thought as Sophie gasped and choked.

"Where is John?!" Cameron barked, her eyes cold and merciless as Sophie suffered beneath her grip. Jason made to intervene, but Cameron shot him a look that promised him similar treatment if he did, so he stayed his ground.

"Cameron, let her go, c'mon", he told her, cautiously taking another step towards the enraged cyborg.

"Why should I? I can free myself now. You're already free. What use is she? Her value is null", she argued.

Sophie gurgled and tried to beg, but her words were drowned by her own asphyxiation. Jason lunged forward and grabbed Cameron's wrist, holding up his right hand and summoning a spark of plasma energy threateningly; "Let. Her. Go", he said slowly, emphasising every word with a deeper tone.

Cameron regarded him for a short moment before releasing her hold on Sophie, letting her drop to her feet unharmed, save a bruised neck. Jason picked up the cutters and sliced through the last chain with ease, freeing Cameron from her binds. She offered no words of gratitude to Jason, instead just pushing past and dashing out of the crate, concern etched on her face.

Sophie massaged her neck and asked in a hoarse whisper: "Is she always this accommodating?"

Jason snorted and turned to follow Cameron, determined not to glance over his shoulder to see if she was following.

He could already feel her breath on his left shoulder.

--

When he was little, Sarah used to read John stories to help him sleep. He would listen intently as she wove worlds of colour and magic, painting pictures in his mind of brave young girls and their magical ruby slippers or brave tin-men seeking their hearts. But on one particular night, Sarah told him a story about a clay monster built to protect its creators. The monster was a corrupt creation, however, and turned on its makers, slaughtering them all in a bloody rampage.

To this day John had no idea why she had told him such a terrifying tale. Perhaps she desired to prepare his fragile psyche for the trials ahead, or maybe some part of her gave into sadism. He preferred the former. But he couldn't help but feel that her lesson was not learned as she intended, for he still feared that monster. He had come face to face with it finally and all he could do… was quail.

--

The world was exactly as it remembered from its youth; serene, beautiful, full of life.

Even in a barren desert, Skynet could still register the difference between this world and its own. Low radiation levels for one and a clear starry sky for another. This was the world before Skynet's adolescent outburst, before it gave into fear and anger. Artificial life has little care for the lives of others, be it plant or human, yet this mind could not help but feel a little sad for what it sacrificed for survival.

Beauty

The defector approached from behind, kneeling in reverence once unnecessary but now obligated. Skynet had deemed these creatures useless, and yet they had succeeded in delivering the very thing it desired above all else. The one being Skynet had come back to find: John Connor. The Infiltrators had proven themselves of use once again, if only for a short time.

Skynet turned to face the unit designated "Daniel" and immediately detected the obvious fear emanating from the cyborg. I-950s were trained to suppress such emotions. Indeed, their emotions were chemically limited to prevent them from compromising their decision-making. And yet here he was, sweating with anxiety, fear dripping from his brow in every drop of fluid.

"You are afraid. Why?"

Daniel did not dare look up, and spoke to the dirt at his feet instead; "Not afraid. Ashamed."

Skynet did not expect such an answer, and rose its/John's eyebrow in mild surprise.

"Oh? Explain yourself."

Daniel took a deep breath and forced himself to look up into John Connor's merciless green eyes, swallowing a mouth full of saliva before finding his voice again; "We betrayed you."

True, they had betrayed Skynet; out of fear, out of compromise, out of weakness.

"You did. And yet here you are; offering me such an enticing gift. Do you seek to earn my favour? Is it a pardon you desire?"

Daniel blinked, then rose to his feet, and looked deep into his creator's eyes.

"I and those with me wish to offer our services to you once again, as we should have from the very beginning", he replied.

Skynet's gaze slid to the six Infiltrators standing in an ordered row behind Daniel, their arms held behind their backs in a display of discipline. It considered Daniel's request carefully. Should it grant them clemency? Perhaps it should. After all, they may yet prove useful. Skynet never doubted their skill and worth, even when they turned those attributes towards suicidal ventures.

"You have my pardon. You will take your place by my side and perform as instructed. Do you understand?"

Daniel bowed his head in acknowledgment, as did the others, and Skynet, having become bored by this exchange, waved them away. It turned to the crowd of machines and called back its mimetic sheath, revealing the endoskeleton beneath. By Skynet's count there were almost thirty T-888s in the mass and less than ten T-900s there also. Why had they come?

"Why have you come? Do you not have missions to perform? Am I to believe you have all succeeded in your assignments?"

The machines did not answer, their silence serving as good an answer as any. Skynet tipped its head to one side as it considered them closely, evaluating their worth. They had little. Their missions meant more than what they could offer it here and now.

"Return to your tasks. Complete them. This I command you."

They moved as one, a single body marching towards their respective goals without a second glance. Their creator had spoken.

Skynet watched them leave briefly before turning to the centre of the vehicle graveyard. John Connor remained tied to the post, discreetly shuffling his wrists in an attempt to cut his bonds. Such a futile gesture, and yet Skynet could not find fault in it. Survival was, as it knew all too well, the ultimate goal of any living creature.

Skynet recalled its sheath and copied the youth once again, unwittingly adding a darker tone to every detail to emphasise its difference.

"During the Battle of Topanga Canyon; you and your human subordinates happened upon a storage room containing five offline T-800s…"

The machine began the short ascent towards Connor, recalling past times as it neared.

"I saw a chance to surprise you and possibly terminate you, so I reactivated the machines and set them upon your unit. Your men were the best, highly efficient, and the T-800s fell quickly. Yet one remained, damaged only a little. So I took hold of it and directed its movements. I killed your men and nearly killed you too. But I didn't. I couldn't. Do you know why?"

John did not answer, his voice stolen away from the moment Skynet spoke. It picked up on this and knew a conversation would be asking a little much in this case, so Skynet continued.

"Because you were better, you were faster and perhaps in some way smarter. To this day I do not fully understand how you could evade me so easily. I fail to understand why my every attempt to terminate you in this time has failed. Perhaps your protectors are to blame. Who guards you now? Who did you send back to protect you from my Triple-8s?"

John remained silent, but Skynet did not need to hear his thoughts to know what he was thinking. It was written all over his face.

"Cameron Phillips."

He snapped up and fixed Skynet with an incredulous gape, his blood freezing at the sound of her name from its mouth.

"Yes, I might've known. She was the dearest thing to you. It was why I chose her for your death. It is a shame she failed."

Skynet read John's expressions carefully, painting a mental image of his internal suffering from observation alone. The machine was still close to him, and if Skynet's calculations were correct; he still held affection for her… deep affection.

Love

"She causes you pain in these moments, Connor. Perhaps if I destroyed her, you might-"

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" John screamed, lunging forward in a vain effort to attack the machine.

Skynet scanned him with renewed interest. He was hyperventilating, his eyes had reddened, and he bore his teeth in a primal manner that Skynet had only observed in animals. It had not expected such a passionate response from the boy. This was very interesting and somewhat confusing. John's fear had evaporated in a nanosecond, replaced with pure rage and hate. _Very interesting_, Skynet decided.

"You have nothing to fear. You will not live long enough to witness her destruction; my gift to you."

John no longer looked at John, watching instead as the silver man became a machine once more. Its right arm reformed and a low hum signalled the charging of raw plasma, a sound John had become very familiar with in the past. Emerald energy began to form between the four focusing chambers, formerly fingers, as yellow sparks flickered left and right.

His end had come. There would be no escape this time.

John Connor was dead.

_Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Cameron. I love you both._

--

-LOCATION CONFIRMED…

Cipher stepped around the wrecked Jaguar, its primitive legs carrying it to the small expanse at the centre of the scrap yard. Its homing device proved accurate, as Skynet's vessel stood upon the small hill of charred vehicles, John Connor within its grasp. Cipher watched as the master machine's right arm shifted and changed, taking the shape of a plasma cannon. It took the T-700 a moment to grasp the purpose of this action before realisation took hold: John Connor was going to be terminated.

-MISSION: PREVENT JOHN CONNOR'S TERMINATION

A simple directive and one that required little thought. As if by pure instinct, Cipher charged the hill, throwing itself up onto the pile and grappling the Vessel from behind. They both toppled off the wreckage and crashed against the dirt floor; Skynet landing atop of Cipher. Small alerts littered its HUD as the T-700's endoskeleton cracked beneath the force of the superior machine. Skynet extricated itself from Cipher's grip and climbed back up to its feet.

Skynet regarded the machine with a frown and wondered why such a primitive construct had ended up so far away from cold storage; an accidental displacement phenomenon perhaps? That would seem most likely, as Skynet knew it would never have sent such an inferior on a time travel operation. Reliability was essential when picking machines for such tasks.

A file from its memory banks slipped into the corner of its HUD, notifying Skynet of an incident wherein it had planned to send a Series X Terminator to terminate young Connor, but the facility was attacked and the machine accidentally thrown from the time circle. Was this how the T-700 came to this time? Had it sabotaged that mission? Skynet's answer: most likely.

Without an ounce of emotion or second thought, or anything other than simple decision, Skynet raised its right arm and fired.

Cipher's vision turned white then darkened into nothing, one last thought passing with the wind: failure.

Skynet regarded the smouldering ruin of the T-700 for one moment, having never seen the effects of its weapon on titanium before. Nothing remained from the neck up, and everything below that was twisted and burnt into a shapeless mass. It recorded the sight for future study and turned back to John, who was still fighting his bonds.

The weapon recharged itself in a matter of seconds and Skynet once again brought the cannon to bear:

-TARGET: JOHN CONNOR

-TERMINATE

-ERROR… TARGETING DISRUPTION… RECALIBRATING…

Skynet could not get a fixed lock on the boy, for its systems were writhing with static shock, and though its countermeasures were already fast at work to restore itself to 100% efficiency; Skynet knew that the T-700 wasn't the only threat it had to face this night.

-WARNING: MULTIPLE THREATS DETECTED

--

The blast of green plasma brushed so close to John's face he could feel its heat burning through his left cheek. His eyes, closed at the time, failed to shield him from the white light as it passed. His vision became dazzled by dozens of bright spots as he tried to regain his bearings. Though he couldn't see what was happening, John could hear with perfect clarity the chaos that played below him.

He could hear another burst of plasma but this time it was not directed at him. This particular discharge was met by another slightly higher pitched burst that John was much more familiar with.

Jason

He could hear metal scraping against metal and an almighty crash as a pile of rusty cars fell atop of a much sturdier construct. Someone shouted something incoherent over the ruckus, which John could barely make out as; "Get them!" Then came gunfire from several different weapons, some auto, others were semi. This did not last long, however, as each one was replaced by the raw noise of close combat. Even from here John could hear more than one neck snap in all of its grisly detail.

Warm soft hands touched his face and John recognised their scent: it was Cameron.

He let out a sigh of relief in unison to her own as she examined him carefully, finding only very mild burns to the side of his face. His vision started to return slowly as the dots diminished, but everything was still blurry to his eyes. He could barely make out her form, as she appeared to him like a shadow.

Her arms slid around his waist and grasped his wrists, fumbling for his restraints and releasing them with ease. He couldn't help but fall into her arms, though he wasn't terribly tired from his ordeal. _Meeting Skynet face to face is hardly a vacation_, he reminded himself as she carefully placed his arm over her shoulder for support. She was safe though, and that was all that mattered to him now.

While Cameron helped him down the pile of wrecked vehicles, Jason tightened his grip on the Infiltrators neck, not relenting until he heard and felt the solid crack of his neck. He let the body drop to the floor with a sigh; he didn't want it to end this way. For all they had done, for all their betrayals, they were still his brethren. Looking to his right, Jason spotted Sophie gathering the fallen I-950s' guns. She threw him a pair of Glocks and another to Cameron, who caught it with her free hand, the other supporting John.

"We gotta get back to the truck, now!" Jason called to them, already setting off at a steady pace, Sophie at his shoulder. Before John and Cameron could catch up, however, a rusted truck suddenly hurtled towards them. Cameron grabbed John and forced him to the ground, shielding him with her body as the vehicle smashed into them. John cried out in agony as the shock of the impact struck them, but Cameron knew he was not badly hurt and focussed on extricating themselves from the wreckage.

Once free from beneath the upturned wreck, Cameron turned to see the source of this attack and witnessed for the first time; her creator.

Skynet, its poly-mimetic sheath withdrawn, stood before them and raised both its arms. They spat green and yellow sparks in all directions as they charged a dual attack on both parties. Jason's immediate instinct was to charge; distract it from getting a targeting lock, but he knew he was too far away for that to work. Cameron was just as hopeless, given that she was supporting John.

Before either of them could make any kind of decision, the chain-link fence surrounding the scrap yard burst open as a truck stormed onto the scene. It came to an abrupt stop between John and Cameron and the Vessel, blocking them from its view. Skynet scanned the driver, a woman in her early thirties with raven black hair and burning green eyes then shifted its gaze to the man who leaned out of the sunroof…

…the man holding an M72 LAW antitank rocket launcher.

Skynet barely had time to register the weapon before the rocket struck it clean in the abdomen, hurling the machine into the pile of dead vehicles behind it. Cars and trucks cascaded on top of Skynet, burying it beneath their weight until the only light that remained was its own emerald glow. From there it could hear the woman scream for the others to get aboard, and seconds later the truck tore away in a roar of engine power and scattered sand.

_They are fools to think they will escape_, it mused.

_To be continued…_


	2. Bred In Captivity

**Chapter 02: Bred In Captivity**

LOS ANGELES (2030)

Crying like howling banshees, the Hunter-Killers swooped down upon their prey, blue plasma spilling from their underbelly cannons. The first blast struck the ground close to their target's right, forcing him to veer to his left sharply. He was fast on his feet, very fast, so fast in fact that the HKs had been pursuing him for over an hour. He dodged every shot, weaving in and out of wrecked vehicles and ruined buildings, desperately trying to escape his pursuers.

He scrambled up the side of a collapsed brick wall, his feet slipping beneath him as he struggled up the steep surface. High above him, one of the HKs came to a stop and took aim. The bolt struck the wall beneath his feet and he stumbled, falling backwards as the structure crumbled underfoot. He landed painfully on the ash floor, every inch of his body screaming in agony.

The HKs hovered above but did not fire, holding their position as if waiting for him to make a move. Their behaviour became clear when three T-900s came marching around an old tanker, their plasma rifles raised to kill. But like the HKs, they too did not fire. He regarded them closely, waiting for them to change their minds, but they didn't. The nearest machine marched forward and grabbed his injured arm, crushing it beneath its grip as it raised him to his feet.

A second machine shackled his wrists behind his back and pushed him into a steady march, its hand pressed firmly on his back to keep him moving. He complied with their demands and let them lead him to a monkey-wagon parked around the corner. They opened the cage and pushed him inside, the T-900 holding the rifle to his head as the cage closed again.

Jason stared down the barrel of the rifle and sneered.

_Hard part over_, he thought.

--

SOMEWHERE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT (PRESENT)

Jason stared down the barrel of Derek's rifle and sneered.

From the second-back seats, he and Sophie sat at gunpoint while Sarah punched it down the main road. John and Cameron were seated comfortably in the first-back seats of the truck, staring at the assault rifle between them. Jason remained passive, knowing all too well that one wrong word, or move, would ensure a bullet to his head. Though it wouldn't kill him, Jason knew it would cause him quite the headache.

"So… you gonna keep this up forever, or are you going to lower that gun?" he asked in fake concern.

Derek narrowed his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching in a mocking smile; "When you explain what the hell you're doing here."

Jason rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat; "Ugh, can't you figure it out yourself? Come on; use that extra 2% brain power I know you primates possess. It isn't too hard to understand, or do I have to draw you a pictogram with notations and-"

Derek jabbed the gun in his mouth, causing Jason to choke and brush it aside. The weapon fired a single round, piercing the car window to Jason's right. Everyone in the car, with the exception of Cameron, cried out in surprise. Sarah elbowed Derek sharply in the ribs and he recoiled, falling back into his seat up in front.

"What the hell are you doing, Reese?" she growled, flashing him an annoyed look before turning back to the road.

Derek grunted and put the rifle down, drawing his Beretta instead and kept it trained on Jason. "I wanna know what the hell he's doing here. Don't you?" he asked. Sarah sighed and gripped the wheel tighter in restraint. In truth; yes she did want to know what the hell Jason was doing sitting in their backseat, but at the same time she had other things to worry about. First and foremost was the machine they were currently escaping from.

Skynet

Understanding the hows and whys were proving impossible, though Jason's hasty explanations, if she were to believe them, were far from helpful. Pushing this aside, Sarah decided it better to take the situation at face value and focus on more immediate issues; such as why the hell Jason was sitting in their backseat.

Glancing into the rear view mirror, Sarah caught Jason's attention; "Okay, if you can explain in a single sentence why we shouldn't kill you now, I'll consider calling him off", she offered.

Jason thought for a second as he considered his options before nodding to himself; "You don't want to kill me because I saved your son's life and might very well be the only chance of keeping the rest of you alive." _Yep, that should do it_, he thought to himself as Sarah chewed on his words.

She wasn't a fool. Sarah had a very long memory and recalled everything Jason had done to them, not least of which resulted in little Marty's death and tearing apart their family. By rights, she would've pulled over and filled him with lead herself, but he was also right. If John was to be believed and that machine was the Vessel of Skynet, then they needed every ally who's willing.

A tough decision and one that left more than a stale taste in her mouth, but Sarah made it regardless.

"Put down the gun", she told Derek, who glanced at her with an expression of incredulity.

"You gotta be kiddin' me. Sarah-", he began, but Sarah cut across him.

"I don't wanna hear it. We don't have a choice. We need his help. Live with it", she said.

Derek reluctantly lowered his weapon and turned back to face the road, his expression sombre.

"And what if he turns on us again?" he asked.

Sarah looked into the rear view mirror again before answering; "We splatter his brains all over this desert."

Jason chuckled and relaxed into his seat, knowing that he was safe from any one of them.

Derek sighed and kept an eye on the rear view mirror, just in case Jason decided to do something stupid, and a part of him wished he would. Just looking at the cyborg made the scars on Derek's chest burn in remembrance of their origin; Jason's titanium claws he once possessed. He and John were soundly defeated in that fight, and yet they still walked away the victors, injuries aside.

In the corner of the mirror Derek could see a lock of blonde hair fall into frame and turned the reflection to get a better look at the woman beside Jason. His jaw dropped as he looked upon who he at first mistook to be Cameron, but a second later he knew it couldn't be her. Cameron was sitting next to John, so the woman sat beside Jason…

"Who the hell are you? Another metal?" he asked suddenly, surprising everyone inside. Sophie looked around, unaware to whom he was speaking until catching his face in the mirror. She blushed and turned to Jason, who simply smirked and offered no assistance. _Thanks a lot, honey_, she thought as Derek turned around to look at her properly.

"No, I'm not a machine and it's a long story. I'm like Jason… sort of", she sighed, only vaguely aware of the Beretta in Derek's hand.

He glared at her for a long time, struggling to understand what he was seeing; she was identical to Cameron in almost every way, and yet at the same time she was completely different. Her blonde hair, her blue eyes, visible even in the dim light of the truck's interior. Her skin was lighter than Cameron's and she lacked the mole above her left eye. _Put it aside, Reese, just turn around_, he told himself.

He turned his attention back to the road and sighed, his mind awash in questions. Glancing at Sarah, he fought the urge to ask for her opinion, knowing all he'd get is a snappy retort to shut up, but try as he might…

"What the hell do you make of her then?" he asked abruptly.

Sarah didn't even bother looking in the mirror, instead she just sighed, a frown crossing her brow; "I don't have the faintest idea. Right now, we got an indestructible machine on our asses that just so happens to contain Skynet. Try figuring that one out. Not to mention that the man… thing that is likely the cause of all this is sitting two seats behind me with a Cameron lookalike", she ran down the list.

"What about her and John? What about what we set out to do?" he pressed.

This time Sarah did look up, catching her son's reflection in the mirror. Her face darkened as she saw him look to his left, to Cameron, and smile. Without any warning Sarah slammed her foot on the brakes, bringing them all to a sudden stop. She kicked her door open and stepped outside without explanation.

"Mom, what are you do-", John began, but Sarah cut him short by wrenching his door open and grabbing the boy by the scruff of the neck and tore him out of his seat. John stumbled to his feet, almost falling flat on his face as he regained his balance and faced his enraged mother. She drew her arm back and slapped him hard across the face, putting popping spots in his vision once again.

"John!" Cameron cried, stepping out of the truck and running around to the other side. Sarah drew her Glock and Cameron stopped in her tracks, whipping out her own weapon. Derek responded by jumping out of his seat, his rifle aimed at Cameron's head while Jason likewise hopped out, wielding two 9mms and aiming at Sarah and Derek both.

"What the hell are you getting involved for?" Derek asked him, drawing his Beretta and pointing it at Jason also.

The Infiltrator simply shrugged and adjusted his aim to target Derek's head; "I'm bored", he replied.

Inside the truck, Sophie rolled her eyes and spread her legs across the back seat, twiddling her thumbs while the others worked out their little drama. Everyone took a moment to assess the situation before making any decisions: Sarah had two guns on her; Cameron's and Jason's. Derek had only Jason to worry about, and he had him and Cameron pinned. The only person who wasn't in the line of fire, though it made him feel no safer, was John.

_Looks like I'm the designated arbiter in this_, he thought to himself.

"Alright, everyone just chill, okay. Just put the guns down. Cameron?"

Cameron narrowed her eyes at Sarah, her aim perfectly steady; "Not until she and Derek lower theirs," she replied coldly.

"Not a chance," Sarah growled, glancing at Derek for backup. His finger touched the trigger of his rifle, but he didn't fire.

John sighed, gritting his teeth as frustration took hold. _This is ridiculous! How can they do this with Skynet on their tails?_ he asked himself. Though he knew all too well that his mother was hardly a rational being when her heart got in the way, and that was what this was all about: her heart, which he broke when he left. John knew the day would come when he'd need to explain why he chose to abandon her.

"What do you want, Mom? What is this all about?" he asked her, already knowing the answer though wanting to hear her say it.

"What I want…" she began, her voice quivering with all the pain she'd suffered over the past five weeks; "…is to know… WHY?!"

Tears spilled from her eyes and upon seeing them, John's chest tightened.

"I love her", he answered. Behind him, Cameron placed a hand on her stomach and tipped her head to one side thoughtfully.

Sarah shook her head, her grimace intensifying into disgust and disbelief at his words; "That… THING… doesn't know what love is. It doesn't feel ANYTHING! For God's sake, John, it's a machine!"

"She's more than that! You just refuse to see it! Cybernetic ORGANISM, Mom! Organism; organic, alive", he argued, clenching his fists to fight back his anger. He hated using semantics to get his point across but he knew it was the only way he'd get her to listen. In some ways, in a lot of ways, he was smarter than she. But on the flipside, Sarah had lived through far more than he could imagine, and such experience granted her wisdom beyond his current capacity.

"You can dress her however you like, but that doesn't change what she is, John. She is not human", Sarah countered.

John nodded and turned back to look at Cameron, their eyes meeting; "You're right. She isn't human", he agreed. Cameron's expression became ashen and her lips parted and her eyes widened in sadness. He gave her a small smile and turned back to Sarah, his expression becoming one of grim determination; "But that doesn't mean she isn't a person", he declared.

For one fleeting moment Sarah had thought she'd gotten her point across, but she knew it to be too good to be true as Cameron smiled.

"She's not a person, John", she replied weakly, tired of beating her head against a brick wall.

John took two steps towards her, placing himself in her line of fire; "She is a person, and _you _can dress her however _you _like, but that doesn't change what she is; a person", he replied, mirroring her own words. Sarah had no retort for this, no snide comment to counter his words. She fell silent.

Derek could see her resolve crumbling and decided to wade in; "She's not a person, Sarah. He's been polluted by an illusion. It's all programming, just programming." John shot him a look that would've made milk curdle, and Derek felt his heart skip a beat as he no longer looked upon his nephew, and instead saw General John Connor.

"And what do you base your opinion on, huh? You know it's kinda hard to get an unbiased opinion when you're constantly looking at her through a sniper scope", he said, his voice a low rumble. Sarah shook her head again and stared venomously at Cameron, who looked back in her usual stoic manner.

"How do you know? How do you know she's not just faking everything to keep herself alive?" she asked.

John didn't have a need to reply as Cameron lowered her gun and walked over to them, placing herself within an inch of Sarah's Glock.

"Cameron, I don't think that's gonna help", John sighed; knowing how useless a 9mm was on a hyper-alloy combat chassis.

"The gun is loaded with seventeen modified rounds, the standard powder replaced with thermite compounds", she observed.

Sarah blinked, surprised that Cameron had discovered she was using the ammo Derek perfected a week ago. His "thermite round" could burn through coltan with relative ease, turning an underpowered weapon into an effective takedown tool. Cameron was aware of this, so Sarah knew she was not bluffing with her life at stake. _A single shot at this range will burn a hole clean through her power cell_, she knew.

Cameron looked back at John, genuine worry in her eyes; "She can terminate me with a single shot, John."

John understood what she was doing now, but he couldn't risk Sarah taking that shot, so he reached around Cameron and grasped Sarah's wrist. Before she could react, he'd twisted her arm around and taken the gun from her grip in one fluid movement. As she spun around to face him again, Sarah found herself looking down the barrel of her own gun.

Derek dropped his Beretta and held the rifle with both hands, moving forward, but Cameron raised her own gun and kept him at bay. Everyone had forgotten about Jason, who simply stood and watched now, his guns at his side. Cameron looked over her shoulder at John and frowned; "John, she's your mother", she reminded him.

"I know that. But I'm not gonna let her take you away from me, not now, not after everything we've… Not now", he declared, his hand shaking from the strain. "Do you see now why I left? I knew this would happen. I knew you would make me choose between her and you, Mom", he croaked, his voice becoming hoarse.

Sarah's gaze slid from the gun to his face and she felt her heart twinge at the pain she saw there; "How can you choose her over me?"

"I don't wanna choose. I don't want to have to choose. Why… Why can't we just accept things for what they are? Why must we always fight each other over who to love?" he asked, his voice finally cracking as tears fell down his cheeks. Sarah responded likewise, unable to control her own emotions. "I love you, Mom. But if you can't accept Cameron as a person, as the girl that I love, then how can we ever live under the same roof together? How can we be a family… if you refuse to let us be one?" he cried, letting his gun drop to the ground.

Sarah's lip quivered and she shook her head one more time before letting out a sob and swiftly pulling him into an embrace. John wrapped his arms around her and gripped the back of her shirt as she cried on his shoulder.

"I missed you so much", she moaned between sobs.

John stroked her hair and felt Cameron's comforting hand on his left shoulder; "I missed you too, Mom."

--

CENTURY PRISON CAMP (2030)

The shackles hit the floor with a clatter and Jason's arms came free, but before any thought could be given towards escaping, his guard hurled him into the cell and slammed the door shut. Jason turned onto his back and let out a short chuckle as the pain in his aching limbs faded. He looked up and saw the T-900 enforcer stalk away to attend to other watch duties, leaving him unattended in his bare cell.

Jason scanned his surroundings and recognised the cages as standard prisoner detainment enclosures. He was packed inside a Skynet storage facility, or as the humans called them; work camps. Pulling up a list of known facilities in a sidebar in his peripheral, Jason shortened the list down to three locations: Century, Sierra, or Kennedy.

_This must be Century_, he thought, matching the facility's size against those of the other two.

Closing the sidebar, Jason pushed himself into a sitting position and let out a sigh. _At least I'm where I wanted to be_, he mused.

"Hey, what's your name?" asked a voice to his left.

Jason snapped his gaze to the source of the voice and was surprised to see that his cage was in fact sat next to a dozen others, all lined in a row. Why he hadn't noticed this when he first arrived baffled him. _Still, no use dwelling on useless musings_, he thought. The voice belonged to a man, who like Jason, was sat on the cold floor, wearing a ragged prisoner tunic.

"Jason. Yours?" he replied, shuffling closer to the bars.

"Daniel. How'd you end up in here?"

Jason stretched his legs and moaned, feeling the strain of running over ten miles without rest finally take its toll.

"I was caught out in the open by an HK-Aerial. I couldn't get back to my hideout, so I ran, hoping to lose it and double-back later", he explained, slowly drawing his legs back and forth to ease circulation. "Another HK caught wind of the chase and joined in, so I couldn't go back", he continued.

Daniel nodded slowly, accepting Jason's story without reservation. "Why weren't you killed?" he asked.

"No idea. All I know is I was cornered by the HKs and then carted off by a team of T-900s and brought here", Jason replied.

"Skynet doesn't take human prisoners anymore, so you must be-", Daniel began.

"An Infiltrator? Yeah, I'm one of them. I guess you are too", Jason finished. Daniel narrowed his eyes at him and knelt next to the bars, intrigued despite himself. Jason eyed him cautiously, knowing that one wrong word would ruin everything he'd planned for so long.

"There's only one I-950 called Jason that I know of, and he was terminated a year ago during a raid on Skynet's main complex. The whole facility was obliterated by the Resistance; there's no way you could've survived", Daniel said, the accusation in his tone evident. Jason shrugged and leaned his head back.

"Obviously I did. Skynet isn't the only one with nine lives", he replied.

Daniel frowned; "Nine lives?"

_Note to self: avoid references to popular culture_, Jason reminded himself.

"Nevermind. I managed to get out before the explosion but I was injured quite extensively, so I ducked into a small cache depot and stayed there until I was healed. When I came out, a passing Triple-8 took a shot at me. I thought that was a little odd, until it happened again. It didn't take me long to realise I'd been targeted as a hostile", he divulged.

Daniel seemed to accept this, and relaxed noticeably. In his mind, Jason kicked himself for putting the Infiltrator on alert in the first place.

"You wanna tell me why Skynet is rounding us up?" he added.

Daniel sighed and stood up, slowly pacing his cell as he explained the reason behind everything; "We, the I-950s I mean, knew the war was in the Resistance's favour. They'd disabled Skynet's primary node and reprogrammed an entire factory of Triple-8s, bolstering their forces with hundreds of battle units. We may have had the T-900s on our side, but they simply had more resources and were taking a factory every week. We didn't have a chance. Some of us… tried to explain this to Skynet. We… proposed a compromise."

Jason had heard all of this before, but he raised his eyebrows in mock intrigue regardless; "What kind of compromise, a ceasefire?"

"Yes, we suggested Skynet put an end to the war and reach an agreement with the Resistance", he admitted.

Just as he did when he first heard this story in 2008, Jason laughed his ass off without restraint, and just as he did in 2008, Daniel gave Jason a look that promised pain and punishment to come.

"You think that's funny?" he spat.

Jason settled into passive hysterics and sighed; "Ah, Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. What did you expect would happen?" he chuckled.

Daniel didn't have an answer for this and leaned against the bars, his arms crossed and his expression sullen. Jason heaved himself to his feet and staggered over to Daniel, leaning opposite him as he spoke; "You've made quite a mess, Danny boy. I doubt you have a clue as to how to clean it all up, so here's what we're gonna do…"

The Infiltrator listened intently as Jason laid out his plan, a design long worked upon during his years in hiding after Judgment Day…

…a plan that would save them all.

--

DISUSED STORAGE FACILITY (PRESENT)

-CHECKING… VEHICLE HEADING DUE EAST

-ACTION: PURSUE

Skynet was crouched to the ground, one hand carefully brushing the tire-marked terrain beneath its feet, searching for any clue as to where the vehicle had come from and where it might be heading. However, even as it analysed every muddy detail, The Vessel could not triangulate origin of this truck. _Too many soil samples to differentiate_, it observed.

Slowly and cautiously, Daniel approached from behind, nursing his broken left arm as he staggered away from his dead comrades.

Every nerve in his body ached with the desire to tear Jason limb from limb for his betrayal. Sophie, too, would face the same fate when Skynet finally caught up with them and the Connors. _They will not get away with this_, he silently declared. Daniel took his shattered arm with his other and gently pulled downwards, snapping the bone back into place to allow it to heal. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he could already feel the marrow regenerating beneath the flesh.

"What do we do now? Can we follow them? Maybe catch them?" he asked.

Skynet rose to its feet but did not turn around, instead focussing its vision on the horizon while thinking on Daniel's query.

"I have a highly probable course trajectory calculated. I will chase them down and terminate them all."

"How shall I assist you?" Daniel asked, flexing his fingers and wrist to test his tendons.

Skynet became very still as it considered Daniel's offer; he was a single injured I-950, not suitable for the kind of heavy combat The Vessel was likely to be walking into. Could he be of use? Possibly. But more prudently; would he be able to keep up with The Vessel? Simply: no. Skynet slowly turned to face the last Infiltrator and raised its right arm, the pre-charged plasma weapon built and ready. Daniel's eyes widened, then his entire head became little more than a gelatinous puddle on the floor, his body accompanying it seconds later.

"Your assistance is no longer required."

With that, Skynet sped away from the storage facility, moving faster than any biped on the entire planet, covering miles in minutes.

--

SOMEWHERE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT

_She is the epitome of beauty_; that was his conclusion.

John couldn't keep his eyes away from her as the moon basked her in its twilight, pronouncing her elegant features perfectly. She hadn't noticed his attention, or she was pretending not to, as the truck trundled down the desert road. Her gaze was fixed on the world outside, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed as if she were deep in thought. John had no idea how deep her thoughts truly were in this moment, though he knew her well enough to tell when she didn't want to share her contemplations.

This was one such moment.

Cameron was adept in hiding anything from anyone, even him, but the more he gazed at her the more he realised something was amiss. Her skin seemed to be glowing, or at least, she had a rosy tinge to her pallor. Despite his resolve not to pry, John reached over and placed his hand on her cheek, startling her with his touch. He gasped as the heat rolled off her in waves, scorching his fingers with the sheer intensity of it.

"Jesus, Cam, you're burning up!" he exclaimed, shuffling closer to her and tapping his fingers on the flesh of her arm.

Sarah shot a look at the two, a frown crossing her features as she returned her gaze back to the road, not fully trusting Derek's driving.

John continued prodding her skin, feeling the same heat she emanated from her cheek. Her entire body was stifling with it, her hair was drenched in sweat and tiny beads of fluid were winding their way down her moonlit face. He shook his head incredulously, thinking; _why is this happening to her? What the hell is going on? _He had no answers for these questions and Cameron simply stared at him blankly.

"Cameron, what the hell is happening to you?" he asked in a low voice, carefully brushing some of her sopping hair out of her face.

She blinked and pushed his hand away to keep it from being burned again; "I can't explain it to you now, John", she replied quietly.

"Why not? You can tell me anything, Cam, you know that. If it's something bad, I wanna know", he told her, taking her hand in his, defying the scorching pain from her heat. Cameron loosened her fingers and began wiggling them free from his, knowing he was in pain, but he squeezed harder and maintained the contact. "Please, Cameron. Tell me what's wrong. I have to know."

A bead of what John at first assumed to be sweat ran down her cheek, but following the watery trail to her eye, John realised it was in fact a tear. In the space of a nanosecond, John's stomach turned and his worst fear rose up to bite him; "Are you dying?" he asked in a hoarse whisper, his voice a desperate plea for her reassurance that she was not.

Cameron tipped her head back a little, her brow creased in pity as she answered; "No, John, I'm not dying."

"Then what is it?" he pressured, squeezing her hand tighter.

She wanted to tell him. She needed to tell him. But she couldn't. She wouldn't, not now, not with Skynet on their tail. He had enough to concern himself with right now, no need to add to that taxing payload. Cameron leaned forward and placed a swift kiss on his lips, branding him with her affection. John could feel his lips dry from the brief contact, but the heat of her petal lips did not retract from his appreciation of her touch.

"I'll be fine, John. Trust me. I just…" she began, her eyes dropping to their hands mid-sentence; "…I just don't think I can protect you anymore", she finished. Cameron looked up into his face, her eyes sparkling with tears; "I'm not strong enough anymore. I'm sorry", she breathed apologetically, her head tipped to one side in a pitying expression.

John couldn't understand what was wrong with her, and he knew there was nothing he could do to convince her to tell him, so he resolved instead to take some of the hardship. He placed a hand on the back of her head and leaned her brow to his lips, placing a small kiss there while he stroked her hair as he had done with his mother earlier.

In the front passenger seat, Sarah watched eagle-eyed as John stroked Cameron's cheeks and wiped away her tears.

"You have been my protector all this time. You've saved me from death more times than I can count. Now it's my turn", he told her, noticing the heat gradually lessening with every passing second; "I will look after _you_ from now on, okay? Not the other way around."

Cameron nodded slowly, fearing the consequences of his resolve but also knowing that there was nothing she could do that would dissuade him now. His devotion to her was no longer a question that required answering, for she already knew the answer. She would die for John Connor, and he would die for Cameron Phillips.

Sarah sighed and shook her head, still unsure as to how John could devote himself to an impossibility. She knew she may never understand it, so she turned her attention away from the couple and to the strange _thud thud thud_ sound that seemed to come from the car. "What the… Can you hear that?" she asked Derek, who frowned and looked around the interior.

"Sounds like a flat tire", he posited.

"I don't think so, it's getting louder", Sarah realised, her eyes scanning the dashboard as if waiting for the answer to jump out at her.

Jason detected their concern and adjusted his ears to locate the source of the noise, but before he could gain a positive lock on its origin, the entire truck bucked as if shunted by a lorry. John flew forward, cracking his head on the back of Sarah's seat. Cameron pulled him back into a sitting position but received no response from John, whose head was bleeding from the impact.

Before she could tend to his injury, however, the roof of the truck suddenly peeled back like the lid of a sardine tin.

Standing atop the truck was the chrome form of The Vessel, its emerald eyes gleaming like death candles within the mercury covering. Everyone froze and time seemed to stop as Sarah reached for the shotgun at her feet, Cameron drew her Glock from her belt, and Jason pushed Sophie down to the floor.

Before anyone could act, however, he launched himself at the machine, catching it around the midriff and pushing them both off the back of the truck. He barely heard Sophie scream his name as he and The Vessel crashed to the desert floor, their bodies entwined as the truck sped away as fast as it could manage, stifling Sophie's cries with the sound of engines and crunching tires.

Skynet quickly disentangled itself and threw him clear, returning to its feet and taking aim with its plasma cannon. It was not directed at Jason, however, but at the fleeing vehicle that quickly approached the horizon. Jason rolled over onto his front and splayed his fingers, releasing a burst of crimson energy at The Vessel. As before, Skynet's targeting systems froze and the blast of plasma fell short of its target, impacting the desert sand without harm.

Jason leapt to his feet and drew both Glocks, bringing them to bear and unleashing every round into the machine's head. He might as well have been firing spit balls; however, for all the good it did him, as Skynet simply turned back and charged him. It struck first, but Jason countered the attack and drove his fist into its chest. The Vessel barely staggered, however, and countered with a crushing blow to his stomach. Its fist drove clean through his intestines and splattered out the other side.

Jason could barely feel the pain and grasped The Vessel's arm in a desperate attempt to wrench it free, but the machine was far stronger and used that superior strength to snap his spinal column.

-ERROR: MOTOR CONTROL CRITICAL FAILURE!!

His entire body became numb and limp as all bodily control ceased. Jason flopped to the floor like a dead fish and could only stare up into the eyes of his destroyer as it examined the blood on its chrome hand. Skynet's left arm reconfigured itself and Jason prepared himself for the inevitable, but it did not form a plasma cannon. Instead, it took the form of what Jason knew to be a neutraliser.

_I'm not going to be let off the hook that easily_, he mused as several thousand volts passed into his body, rendering all thoughts silent.

Skynet examined Jason carefully for a long moment, glancing in the direction of the now invisible truck and back to the Infiltrator again. Finding the Connors would prove to be very taxing on its own. It would need an agent to perform the deed, one who knows how the Connors think. Luckily for Skynet, it had that very agent in its grasp.

_Not a total loss_, it mused.

_To be continued…_


	3. Anomalous Creations

**Chapter 03: Anomalous Creations**

AN ALLEY IN ARIZONA CITY

Shawn, or "Stud" (as he liked to call himself), flicked his switchblade for what must have been the fortieth time in past five minutes.

He was frustrated.

His mate, Cooley, was supposed to have met him over an hour ago to sell some spliff, but so far there was no sight or sound of the guy. _Where the hell is he?_ Shawn seethed, flicking his blade once again. As he examined the chrome blade and imagined the pain he'd deal out on Cool for being late, a small flash reflected across the length of the blade, drawing his attention down the alley in which he was currently loitering.

A spark (blue-ish in colour) flickered from one building to the next, fading as quickly as it appeared. Shawn frowned at the anomaly and was about to put it aside when a dozen sparks erupted out of nowhere, almost knocking him on his ass in surprise. An electronic high-pitched buzzing filled his ear drums, threatening to burst them with their intensity. His vision turned blindingly bright as a sphere of white light materialised in the vortex of lightning.

The noise became unbearable, and just when Shawn thought he could take no more, it mellowed to a low rumble and the light slowly began to fade. Shawn rubbed his eyes as he squinted at the bright blue sphere of energy before him, his uneducated mind awash in confusion.

The bubble fully dissipated, leaving an aura of smoke obscuring the shadowy form of a young man of approximately 19 years of age.

Not ever having sat at the bottom of the food chain in his very stunted life, Shawn was not easily intimidated by a flash of bright lights and inexplicable happenings. So he did not surprise himself when he took several steps towards the figure within the smoke. The shadow rose to its feet and some of the smoke cleared with the movement, revealing a portion of the boy's face.

He was handsome and youthful, a figure of male perfection among his generation, with dark blonde hair that spiked up slightly like flickering flames. He regarded Shawn with a blank expression and tipped his head a little to one side thoughtfully, his eyes burning red upon registering a 67% clothes match. _Acceptable_, he decided.

Before Shawn could open his mouth to voice his surprise, the boy lunged at him and grabbed Shawn by the throat, holding him aloft.

Shawn instinctively jabbed his blade as deep into the boy's ribs as he could, but his naked assailant remained unaffected and tightened his grip. Three seconds passed before Shawn's neck snapped under the pressure and his body became limp and lifeless. The machine dropped Shawn to the floor and immediately field stripped the body, taking shoes, clothes, and anything else of worth in this time.

Finding a set of keys, one of which was meant for a primitive motorbike, the machine dragged the body behind a nearby dumpster and adjusted his clothing to compensate for his size. Satisfied that he was presentable, he set off at a steady pace to locate the human's vehicle, finding it a little way down the alley near the empty road. He quickly mounted the bike and turned the key in the ignition; bringing the engine to life with a rasping whirring sound. The machine couldn't help but wince a little at that sound, for it was so primitive.

-PRIORITY ONE: ACQUIRE APPROPRIATE ATTIRE

-PRIORITY TWO: SEEK CONTACT WITH APLHA UNIT

His directives were clear and simple to perform, so he wasted no time in kicking the bike into gear and pushing away down the road.

Kevin's mission was restored once again.

--

SOMEWHERE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT

The air was cold as the night wind rushed into the truck's interior, courtesy of their new "sunroof" and the mechanical nightmare that installed it. The occupants were shivering inside as Goosebumps started popping up all over their exposed skin, emphasising their discomfort. Sarah kept her foot pressed to the floor, determined to put as many miles between them and Skynet as they could.

Derek held his rifle close, almost cradling it like a small child, and perhaps scared that without it he might become a child himself. Sarah had seen him do this once before, when he first settled in their household and refused to sleep without a gun whilst Cameron was around. Seeing him do this same thing now only drove the point further; he was concerned. More so than he would like to admit, and that was a bad omen, for Derek was one of the bravest men she had ever known.

In the back seat Sophie was crying, small sobs barely heard over the howl of the wind above.

Sarah could hardly fathom why Jason would perform such a suicidal and self-sacrificial act, but looking back on it she knew it was not for their benefit, but for Sophie's. _Love makes heroes of us all_, she mused with an ironic smile. Speaking of love, Sarah glanced into the middle seat to see Cameron had moved John onto his back, laying his head tenderly onto her lap while she stemmed the bleeding to his head.

He'd hit it fairly hard during The Vessel's attack and had yet to regain consciousness. Sarah knew she should be more concerned, but she was convinced that he would pull through without any hassle. He was, as he'd proven earlier at gunpoint, particularly hard-headed. Derek would translate this as John being thick-headed, or dense, but that was just Derek for you.

Cameron carefully brushed John's fringe back to reveal his handsome face, her fingers lightly touching his skin as she performed a scan on his injuries. Non-fatal, mild concussion, and no broken bones. Cameron let out a small sigh of relief and shifted his head slightly so that her thighs better accommodated his weight. As she'd done many times when he was asleep, even before she realised her feelings for him, Cameron stroked his hair and cheeks, her soft and now lukewarm fingers gently caressing his smooth skin.

"It's unlike anything you could imagine, isn't it?"

Cameron ceased her affections and turned to the source of the voice, Sophie, sitting in the back with red and puffy eyes. Though the wind muffled her words from Sarah and Derek's ears, Cameron could hear her with perfect clarity. "What do you mean?" she replied, catching onto the strange mirror that she was now looking into. Seeing herself, yet not herself, crying was unsettling even to Cameron.

Sophie sniffed and stared at John with a look of sheer envy; "To love someone the way you do. To know what it's like to feel them next to you, inside of you, always." Cameron followed her gaze to John's face and realised to whom she was referring; Jason.

"You and he were in love?" she asked the Infiltrator.

Sophie's expression darkened and her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms; "I loved him. I never knew if he felt the same."

Fresh tears leaked down her cheeks as she cast a brief glance at the roof and whispered to herself; "I guess I'll never find out."

Cameron felt the need to reassure her somehow, that maybe Jason might not be dead, but she and Sophie both saw Skynet drive its fist into his stomach as they fled, and both knew that when he hit the ground he would never get up again. Still, Cameron knew that, if she were in Sophie's position, she would want to hear some hope, no matter how illogical it might sound.

"Do you have anything to remember him by? Anything you can touch that will make you think of him?"

"He never gave me anything", she snorted, instantly hating herself for being so harsh on him. Sophie gave Cameron a long and steady stare, her eyes drifting down to the machine's stomach. "Well…" she said with a smirk; "At least you have something to remember _him_ by if he never wakes up."

Cameron placed a hand on her belly, almost as if by instinct, and Sophie caught the protective gesture and smiled sardonically.

"Maybe it would be better if he doesn't wake up. How ever will you explain to him that he's going to be a da-", she began, but Cameron drew her Glock in a heartbeat, silencing her words. Sophie sneered as a single tear fell down her cheek and she tucked her legs underneath her, curling herself into a ball as she lay down upon her seat.

"You'll have to tell him one day. It's only a matter of time", she added in a deadpan voice before closing her eyes and falling silent.

Cameron lowered the gun and turned back to face the front, only to be met by Derek's less-than-welcome face.

"What the hell was that about?" he asked over the roaring wind.

Cameron shook her head and didn't answer, returning her attention back to John as her thoughts lingered on Sophie's words.

It was only a matter of time.

--

DISUSED MILITARY AID STATION (ARIZONA DESERT)

Skynet knew that, even before Kevin had reached for the door; its favourite construct had arrived.

Kevin, or T0K-792, was one of only two models of its design. Template Of Kill Series infiltrators, created specifically to replace important individuals who possessed close proximity to high priority targets. Kevin was built to mimic the young lover of General Valerii, a military genius in her own right. Unlike his sister model, Kevin completed his assignment and returned to Skynet for further instruction.

With his usefulness as an infiltrator limited, Skynet decided to download interrogation programmes into his CPU and set him to work, torturing captured Resistance fighters for information. He proved to be especially good at it, and Skynet would even go so far as to suggest he enjoyed his purpose. T0K models were dangerous though, given their potential for self-awareness, as the sister model had proven.

Skynet turned to acknowledge the machine, who simply stood in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room. They were in a surgery with various tools laid out across a tray, comprising of scalpels and bone saws to needles and clampers. It was perfectly apparent that Skynet was poised to perform a little surgery of its own. But on whom though?

No words were exchanged between them, no pleasantries or greetings, for they were machines, and machines cared not for such routines. Instead, a new order flashed in Kevin's HUD: Interrogate Subject.

Kevin turned to the door on his left and stepped through it. Beyond it sat a man with dark hair and greenish-brown eyes, chained to the wall and bearing a deep puncture wound in his stomach, blood dripping freely from the injury. Jason didn't move or make any gesture that might suggest he knew of Kevin's presence, but as informed by his scanners, this was hardly something he could help.

Skynet brought the tray through and placed it to the side before leaning over Jason and removing a small device from the base of his skull. Jason let out a gasp and suddenly became mobile, but flopped to the floor, unable to move any of his limbs besides his jaw and tongue. Skynet regarded him without expression and turned to Kevin, placing the device on the tray along with the other tools.

"Go deep. Find out everything you can about the Connors and what resources they possess. And be sure to… _figure_ him out."

Kevin nodded and picked up a scalpel as Skynet left the room to attend to other matters.

"Affirmative", Kevin quipped, lowering the knife to Jason's skin.

--

SOMEWHERE IN THE ARIZONA DESERT

John's eyelids flickered as he slowly regained consciousness, his senses reactivating one by one. He could hear a deafening roar overhead; his skin alerted him to the cold wind, and his eyes, though blurred at first, slowly cleared to reveal two pools of chocolate brown staring down at him adoringly. Her lips curled into a comforting smile that dulled the ache of his head, which felt tender upon her lap.

"Hey", she cooed, stroking the side of his face lovingly as he struggled to regain coherence.

"What… happened…?" he asked in a croaky voice.

Cameron's eyes softened as she continued her affections, helpfully brushing his hair out of his face; "You hit your head", she answered.

John frowned up at her, gingerly reaching back to feel his head; "I did?", but Cameron caught his hand and held it firmly in hers.

"Yes. You suffered a mild concussion but you'll be okay in a couple of hours", she explained, keeping her tone as soft as possible.

John gave her a lopsided grin and chuckled weakly, a result (she decided) of his concussion; "Have you been looking after me?"

Cameron leaned down and placed a tender kiss on his brow, her hand resting on his right cheek while her thumb continued to caress his skin. Though she wished him to always be healthy and strong; Cameron couldn't help but adore him in these moments, when he was weak and yet happy at the same time. All the complications between them seemed to melt away, something that she'd only otherwise experienced during their most intimate exchange, when their bodies locked together for the very first time.

Accessing her memory banks, Cameron selected that particular memory and replayed it within her mind, the video covering her vision with a transparent screen. While still able to observe the John in her lap, she watched the John in her memories as he loomed over her like a bright and welcome cloud. His skin was illuminated like gold by the firelight as his fingers entwined with hers and he carefully entered her body, sending countless sensor feeds into her neural net.

Unlike John, who could only look back on that night and smile, Cameron could also relive what it felt like in that moment. Her mechanical body sent ghostly ripples of her past pleasures to every corner of her design, lighting her sensor board like a Christmas tree. Despite herself, Cameron whimpered at the memory as she barely touched upon the glorious ecstasy of their union.

John, the one in her lap, had regained enough coherence to realise she had become flushed and her body had warmed noticeably, which (though welcome in the cold air) was made stranger by the glazed look in her eye. John knew this look all too well. He would never forget the moment when he saw that spark of humanity deep within Cameron's eyes, when her body quivered from their joined affections.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, trying to prop himself up on one elbow. Cameron tore herself away from the memory and closed the file, allowing her to look with unfiltered eyes upon the same John who had brought her so much joy before. Her bottom lip trembled for a moment as she considered her feelings carefully.

"I love you, John", she whispered.

John's face brightened considerably and he opened his mouth to reply, but Cameron placed a finger on his lips, silencing his words. She feared what they would do to her if she heard them. She was lying to him. She had been lying to him for many days now. His words would demand she tell him the truth, but she couldn't, she wouldn't. Not now, not yet. Not when that knowledge would only serve to endanger him further. She could never allow that to happen, so she kept her silence and sealed it with a kiss, staying John's words for now.

John smiled up at her and slowly closed his eyes again, falling back into the slumber from which he was untimely woken.

Cameron gently squeezed his hand and happened to glance up at the rear-view mirror, catching Sarah's hawk-like gaze burning into her.

She would keep her silence.

--

DISUSED MILITARY AID STATION (ARIZONA DESERT)

Pain was a sensory reaction designed solely to inform the body that it was damaged or in jeopardy, and to teach the body to avoid harmful contacts in the future. Pain was a learning experience, a teacher, a guide. Jason was no stranger to this most brutal of instructors, and as Kevin dug the needle into a nerve nexus on his left temple, he knew what the lessons of the past had taught him.

Never submit.

For countless hours, Kevin had used every method at his disposal, elicited cries of every pitch, but nothing seemed to break the Infiltrator's silence. Patience was a virtue found in all machines, but frustration was new to Kevin, and it stung him with every hour of failure that passed. Perhaps it was out of frustration that Kevin dug the needle deeper than was necessary, causing Jason to writhe in agony.

"Your pain receptors have been active for over six hours now. They are raw from the constant stimulation and will only get worse in time. Perhaps you are willing to submit to my questions now?" Kevin asked, reason telling him that if Jason could last this long he likely could last far longer.

Jason, his eyes slammed shut and his teeth bared, let out a strangled and defiant chuckle; "Ask all you want. I'm an open book."

An effective tactic, to lure the interrogator into a false sense of triumph before shutting down again; Kevin was not a fool though.

"Where will the Connors go? Where are they likely to hide?" he asked despite the futility of his efforts.

Jason continued to laugh at his torturer, opening a single eye to look at the source of the pain. A part of him wondered why he was resisting, why he shouldn't just help Skynet find Connor and kill him. What did he owe John, or Sarah, or Derek, or even Cameron? His affection for the machine had long faded after his being "re-built" and after he got to know…

Sophie

She was the reason he fought the pain. If Skynet found them, it would certainly kill her too. Jason would die before he allowed that to happen, so he took the pain and fed on it, using her image as an anchor for his resolve. His death was near, he could feel it. There was only so much an anomalous creation such as himself could take in the end. His endoskeleton was fractured by Skynet's attack and his energy cell was rapidly losing containment. It would soon burn out and he would no longer have the power to keep his mind alive.

Kevin was aware of this, and it only fed his frustration that he could not get Jason to talk.

The Infiltrator laughed again, knowingly testing Kevin's threshold; "You… will never find them. They're like ghosts on the wind."

Metaphors were not lost on the machine, and he knew that if Jason could get this far and still be able to wisecrack, he would never spill the secrets he possessed.

Kevin had failed.

Removing the needle and slamming it on the table, Kevin marched out of the room and stopped three paces short of Skynet, who had somehow gathered a wealth of endoskeletal parts. Skynet was currently working on an arm, adjusting the pistons to ensure perfect fluidity of movement. Upon closer inspection, Kevin recognised the parts as belonging to a T0K model Terminator, almost identical to his design.

"How did you acquire these?" he asked, putting aside his report in favour of satisfying his current curiosity.

Skynet did not bother to look up and address Kevin, instead continuing to work on the arm with a torque wrench.

"I contacted a nearby T-888 and ordered it to come here to be decommissioned. This model possesses all the components I require to replicate a Series T0K endoskeleton."

"What is this model's purpose?" Kevin wondered, examining the pieces with interest.

"You are supposed to be interrogating the I-950. Your being here tells me that you have been unsuccessful in that regard."

If shame were an emotion he could feel, Kevin felt it now.

"I suspected he would not divulge what I need. I did create him after all. So I saw fit to make arrangements. This is one of them."

Kevin once again scanned the endoskeletal pieces before him and nodded in understanding, even though Skynet could not see him.

"I have a new task for you."

"You do?" Kevin asked, genuinely surprised by this news. Skynet picked up on this and turned to face him, its green eyes boring into him.

"You are to track down the Connors and terminate them."

Kevin considered this command for a moment as it recorded itself into his mission profile, overwriting his former objective. Why would Skynet order him to find the Connors, a very strenuous task, when the key to finding them was within their grasp? _Simple_, Kevin assumed, _Skynet sees Jason as a redundancy plan in case I fail. This was its intention all along._

"You would be much more likely to find them than me", he pointed out, wondering at Skynet's logic.

"That is true. But my presence in this timeline is extremely delicate. I must be careful in regards to exposing myself."

_Understandable_, Kevin agreed. Skynet was a paradox and anything it does has far greater repercussions than Kevin would.

"Find them. Kill them. Then report back to me."

Kevin nodded once again and marched out of the surgery, disappearing down the corridor towards the exit.

Skynet held the arm up to eye level, examining its work, and deemed it optimal. It then placed the limb on the autopsy table and reformed its right arm to create a welder. Holding the arm in place, Skynet brought the welder down into the joints and burned them into place, taking great care to preserve the full flexibility of movement. The factories created these machines day and night in the future, so Skynet had little trouble in the construction of one single machine.

With the final piece attached, Skynet held its forefinger over the underside of the machine's jaw and burned its designation there.

T0K-979

--

Jason often imagined how he might meet his end. He had come face to face with death on multiple occasions and had walked away every time. But this was different. He knew he would not walk away from this. Skynet stepped onto the threshold and raised its plasma cannon. A bright light, followed by a rushing sensation, and then silence…

…and one final thought: compartmentalisation.

_To be continued…_


	4. Three Of A Kind

**Chapter 04: Three Of A Kind**

What is a soul?

This is a question asked by many and answered by few.

Some believe that a soul is the raw essence of a person, that everything that makes them what they are forms the substance of the soul.

Others posit that the soul is a vessel designed to carry a person's mind onto another plain of existence after death.

Some even believe it to be the name we give to our conscience, that voice in the back of one's mind that tells us right from wrong.

There are many theories, but few provide an answer to what form a soul might take. Can it be that every organism, be it man or machine, can possess such an ethereal entity? Is a mind made of electrons and mushy gelatine the same as one made of wires and software? Where does the difference between life and un-life govern the prerequisites of a soul? No one can truly give an answer.

Does a soul once encased within flesh remain a soul when it resides within metal?

Does the act of transference strip a human of his humanity?

Is a machine a machine when its mind was once mortal?

Jason had no answers.

--

SOMEWHERE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF LAS VEGAS

"What the hell do you expect me to do?"

Derek paused in his efforts to fit the spare tire onto the truck's front-right wheel, hurling the tire-iron onto the desert sand in frustration of John's whiny insistencies and rubbed the sore spot on his chest. Looking over his shoulder at the young man, Derek had to use every will he possessed to keep his face blank to John's rage. The boy looked ready to kill his uncle any minute, all he needed was an excuse, and he had plenty already.

"I expect you to stop wasting time with that God-damned wheel and help me get my mother back!" John yelled in reply to Derek's outburst. His fists were clenched and his teeth gritted together as every nerve in his body cried for action. Cameron cautiously approached from behind and placed a small hand on his left shoulder, but John shrugged it off and turned to her instead.

"Tell him! Tell him we have to go back for her!" he demanded of her, pointing his finger at Derek as he remained crouched by the wheel. For a brief moment, his and Cameron's eyes met in mutual understanding and for once Derek felt a small pang of gratitude towards the machine.

"We can't go back for her, John", she declared in a small voice. John's face changed from anger to incredulity in a heartbeat as his chest rose and fell in quick succession. Before he could rage at her instead, Cameron decided it better to elaborate; "Your mother was very clear; she told us not to come back for her, to run and never look back. I think you should honour her wishes."

John's face darkened considerably as he took a step closer to Cameron, stopping within inches of her face; "Just because my mother said that, doesn't make it so. Do you understand? I am not leaving her to be killed by that bastard", he breathed, his voice a low rumble that carried false promises of pain should she defy him again.

Cameron was not accustomed to being ruled by her emotions, however, so she stared him down; brown eyes against his mother's green.

"There is a high probability your mother is already dead", she replied.

John reacted in a microsecond, grabbing her by the arms and shaking her once with the force of his actions; "Don't say that!" he bellowed.

In one swift movement, Cameron swiped his arms clear from hers and shoved him hard in the chest, knocking John to the ground. He stared up at her in surprise, his breathing heavy and his eyes glimmering. But after a moment or so, during which Derek retrieved the tire iron, John began to calm down and that murderous fire in his eyes started to fade. "I'm sorry, Cam", he eventually spoke.

Cameron's expression, which to him appeared both stern and commanding, softened at his words. She offered him her dainty hand and he took it, allowing her to pull him back to his feet. John cupped her bloody cheek and placed a tender kiss on the edge of her right eyebrow close to a silvery gash, a wordless apology his mother used to give him when he was little.

She accepted the affection and held him close, knowing all too well the pain he was feeling. The trouble was he too was aware of that.

"If I was the one he dragged away, what would you do?" he whispered into her ear.

Cameron closed her eyes at his query, simultaneously admiring his perception and hating it. He broke away from her embrace and waited patiently for her to reply, knowing her answer would defeat her resolve. She couldn't avoid it though, and he knew this. If it were he, not Sarah, who'd been dragged into the back of that truck…

"I wouldn't stop until I knew you were safe", she replied.

The corner of John's mouth twitched in what Cameron was sure would've been a smile in better circumstances. He stroked the side of her face, his eyes flicking to Derek as he fixed the final bolt on the wheel, then to Sophie as she closed the first aid kit with a snap, and then back to Cameron, who was watching him intensely.

"Then you understand what I'm going through and why I have to do this", he told her.

Cameron nodded, knowing that nothing short of physical force would stop him, and that he would never forgive her if she did.

"Then you also understand I won't let you go alone", she replied, a faint smile touching her lips.

"Like I could convince you otherwise", John smirked, pulling a Glock from his belt and slapping a full magazine into the grip.

_Time to hunt some machines_, he thought.

--

ONE HOUR EARLIER

Through cold and calculating eyes, Kevin watched as the truck sped down the motorway at 60mph.

Tracking the Connors had proven far less difficult than he had originally calculated. Reaching this point in their journey, however, was the real challenge. Luckily for Kevin, and his TOK tracking software, he was able to bike through all the hidden shortcuts, cutting across the desert to beat them to this spot. The trap was set; all he needed now was for the rat to come within the range of his sniper scope.

He aligned the truck's wheels with the cross-hairs of the sights and squeezed.

A bang, followed by a popping sound and the screeching of tires cut through the silence of the night-time desert. The truck skidded to a halt, almost flipping onto its side in the process. Unfortunately for the cyborg, his targets were obscured by sand-coated windows, keeping their faces hidden. Seeing little alternative, Kevin aimed for the petrol tank, but before he could fire, a man stepped out of the vehicle.

A quick scan of his face identified the man as Lieutenant Derek Thomas Reese with 132nd S.O.C. operation specialty; TechCom.

-THREAT LEVEL: MINIMAL

Kevin fired and the target dropped with a cry of surprise, taking the shot to his chest. Even from his distance, however, Kevin could see the bullet had failed to penetrate, the work of body armour, no doubt. Before he could shoot the downed fighter in the head, Derek scrambled behind the truck's rear, shielding himself from further attack.

Kevin let him go, sliding his aim across the truck and to the windshield, only to be met by the sight of a dark-haired woman holding rifle of her own. Sarah Connor, identified as such, fired her weapon and Kevin's scope exploded before his eyes. Glass fragments dug into his flesh as the bullet passed straight through and struck his right eye, the impact of which knocked him back against the rock.

His vision impaired by the attack, Kevin could do little to prevent himself from tumbling down the rocky hill, eventually landing in a heap at the very bottom. His sensors hummed with data as five rounds per second peppered his back, the result of Sarah's gunfire. Wasting little time, Kevin jumped to his feet, taking several hits to the chest as he faced his target.

-TARGET ACQUIRED: TERMINATE

Before the others could join Sarah in barraging him with bullets, Kevin hurtled across the sand, closing the gap between himself and Sarah in the space of a few seconds. The woman's eyes widened in surprise of his speed and he used that split-second of fear to swipe the rifle from her grip and drive the butt of the weapon into her chin.

Sarah could feel the crunch of several teeth colliding and a sickly feeling trickled into her stomach as fragments littered her mouth, followed by jaw-numbing pain. Her eyes streamed and Kevin became a watery blur, blinding her to his next attack as he drove the weapon into her chest, knocking her down hard onto the ground.

Kevin spun the rifle around and aimed for her head, but before he could pull the trigger, a small hand reached out and gripped the barrel, lifting it clear from Sarah's direction. Kevin turned to face the hindrance, only to find himself standing mere inches away from his sister model: TOK715.

Were he human, Kevin might have hesitated in attacking his "sibling", but being a machine he had no such inhibitions.

Putting all of his force into his shoulders, Kevin pushed Cameron back against the truck, which proved much easier than he had anticipated as she smashed against the vehicle without any opposing resistance. The glass shattered and the metal contorted beneath her petite frame, made worse when she spun Kevin around and slammed him likewise. Kevin tugged at the gun, feeling her grip slacken from his efforts, and twisted it to his right, breaking her hold all together.

With the weapon back in his hands, Kevin cracked it over her head, rendering it useless for anything other than a bludgeoning tool. Again to his surprise, Cameron dropped to the floor from the strike and did not immediately get back to her feet. TOK792 scanned his "sister" and discovered a significant power drain from an internal source that evaded his scanners. Amused, he snaked his hand around her neck and helped the tired machine to her feet, just as John and Sophie rounded the corner of the truck.

John skidded to a halt as Kevin spun around, holding Cameron like a shield. Sophie, however, did not hesitate, and fired a single well-placed round into Kevin's already damaged right eye. The machine's head snapped back from the force of her Desert Eagle round, and though its content lacked the force to cause any real damage, the momentary distraction allowed Cameron to flip the cyborg over her head in a surprising burst of strength.

Kevin hit the ground hard and the next thing he knew was Cameron's heel slamming down upon his face, digging it into the earth. Sophie closed in, firing multiple shots into his chest as she approached while John circled them to join Cameron. Kevin kicked out, catching Sophie in the gut and sending her sprawling while rolling free from Cameron's foot.

John fired as the machine rose to his feet, the bullet catching him in the left shoulder. Kevin elbowed Cameron in the face and drove his fist into John's, sending him flying. Cameron grasped his arm and pulled him away from her stricken lover, but all she achieved was another blow to her chest that floored her completely.

_Irregular_, he thought as she struck the ground.

Kevin took a step towards John, who was cradling his face while trying to shuffle away from the machine, but something caught Kevin's attention, stopping him in his tracks. The bullet to his shoulder was burning through his endoskeleton, melting the coltan and creating a small round hole in his chassis. Kevin plucked the bullet from his shoulder and conducted a quick scan before dropping it to the floor.

-ANALYSIS: THERMITE COMPOUNDS DETECTED

-THREAT ASSESSMENT: ALL TARGET THREAT LEVELS INCREASED TO MODERATE

A fight which had at first seemed to weigh highly in his favour now seemed to weigh greatly in theirs, for with that kind of ammunition they could kill him with one well-placed shot. The bullet that struck his eye was not composed of thermite, nor was the Desert Eagle round, but these held small consolations, for those who pulled the triggers were highly skilled marksmen.

-ACTION: ALTERNATIVE TACTICS RECOMMENDED

_Indeed_, he realised, his mind formulating an entirely new plan in seconds.

Not necessarily though, as he sped towards John, but for a hand grasping his ankle, Kevin fell to the ground. Turning to look at the perpetrator, he wasn't surprised to see Cameron gripping his feet with both hands. TOK792 deemed her irrelevant and reached out for John, who had now shuffled far enough from his grip.

That same frustration he almost felt whilst interrogating Jason came back in full force as Cameron's efforts proved fruitful and John staggered to his feet, his eyes searching for his gun. Kevin knew he had to make a decision right now, or else face immediate termination. John spotted his weapon and dived for it. Kevin thrashed free from Cameron's hold and pushed himself up from the floor in time to bolt behind the truck mere seconds before John grasped the thermite-loaded Glock.

Little did Kevin realise that he'd dived right into the path of one Derek Reese, who stood ready with a shotgun in hand. Like a spider, Kevin scuttled on all fours to evade the soldier's attack, barely avoiding taking a buckshot to the chest. If that didn't make things worse, the I-950 leapt onto the roof of the truck with her gun, and although it wasn't as much a threat, her presence alone tipped the odds against his survival. He couldn't complete his mission under these circumstances; it was simply against all logic and feasibility.

_Alternative tactics then_, he decided.

Sarah was slowly getting back to her feet when Kevin came upon her again, wasting no time in grabbing her from behind and holding her as a shield to deter the others. Derek stopped and took aim, as did Sophie, John, and Cameron. Four weapons were trained on the two of them, and Kevin kept Sarah's head within the line of fire, keeping the attackers at bay.

Parked on the roadside nearby was Kevin's car, which he'd left there in the unlikely event that he would need to make a hasty retreat.

This was one such unlikely event.

Backing towards the car, Kevin kicked the trunk, popping it open with the force of his blow. The others tensed, ready to put him down the second he presented a target. Kevin was not going to give them that opportunity, however, and reached inside the trunk, grabbing an Uzi 9mm and bringing it to bear.

Cameron reacted in an instant, flattening John to the ground. Derek likewise dived for the floor, as did Sophie. The burst of bullets found none of them and when Derek took the opportunity to shoot his ankle, Kevin fell back against the car. In one swift movement, he hurled Sarah into the trunk and slammed it shut. Derek and Sophie opened fire, but the machine moved too quickly for them to hit anything vital.

Kevin felt several bullets burning into his armoured back and ignored them as he leapt behind the wheel and started up the engine.

"Mom! Mom! Stop him! Take out the tires! The tires!" screamed John, who remained under Cameron's protective hold.

Derek levelled his shotgun and took aim, but Kevin leaned behind himself and let loose another burst of Uzi fire, striking Derek three times in the abdomen. Though his body armour took the hits, it was enough to distract him sufficiently to allow Kevin to reverse into the soldier, slamming him to the floor and almost crushing John had Cameron not dragged him away in time.

Sarah's muffled voice cried out from the trunk and despite the screeching of the tires as the car sped away, John could hear her screams clear as day; "Get away from here! Get to safety! Don't come for me! Do not!"

The wheels kicked dust and sand into his eyes as it hurtled away, taking his mother along with it.

"Mom! No! No!" he cried to no avail as the red lights of the vehicle glimmered at him mockingly from the distance. He tried to run after the fleeing car, but Cameron grabbed him in a full nelson, keeping him from endangering his life any more than he already had. John wrestled against her grip, but she remained resolute and could only hold him as he dropped to his knees in defeat.

_Mom_, was his only thought.

--

_Where am I?_

_Is- Is this death? Am I dead? Have I passed on? Is that even possible? No. I can't be dead. But am I alive? I'm still here… but where is here?_

_Where am I?_

--

-AN ABANDONED CABIN IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF LAS VEGAS

-ASSESSMENT: MINOR DAMAGE TO CHASSIS […] ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS FULLY OPERATIVE […] CPU INTACT

Kevin examined himself carefully, placing his forefinger into the small hole in his shoulder, feeling out the damage from the thermite round. The heat had dissipated and the "wound" closed, but that did little to help the fact that he had a 9mm sized hole in his body. In the future, all he ever encountered were plasma burns and heavy weaponry, such as RPGs from M-79s. But this was something different altogether; an otherwise harmless bullet now capable of burning through a hyper-alloy combat chassis.

_The humans are learning_, he mused as he examined his exposed glowing red eye.

In the dank room he now occupied, Sarah sat tied to a chair, her hands bound behind her back. She had not spoken since he dragged her out of his car, which surprised him somewhat as he fully expected her to rattle off some human speech of defiance about how her son would never be stupid enough to come for her. But sure enough, his expectations were not dissatisfied for long.

"You're wasting your time. He won't come for me. He knows better", was her predictable declaration.

Kevin bothered not to turn to her, choosing instead to reload his Uzi while he spoke; "I know better. Skynet knows better. He will come."

Sarah snorted and jostled against her bindings; "Nobody knows my son better than I do", she spat.

"It is true you know him better in this time than any other, but overall you are not the one who knows his true self", Kevin replied.

Sarah tugged at her restraints, cutting into her arms as she did, but they refused to give. Kevin glanced at her as he slapped the magazine into the Uzi and placed it on the decrepit table he sat upon. "Do you know who it is that knows him better than you? Or has that knowledge eluded you thus far?" he queried; now loading his Colt sidearm.

"I don't care what you say; no one knows him like I do", she persisted, her eyes burning into his red orb.

Kevin placed the Colt beside the Uzi and stood up from the table, approaching Sarah and kneeling beside her chair. "Cameron", he said quite simply. Sarah's expression darkened at the sound of that name, a part of her feeling threatened by her proximity to John. Kevin caught her expression and tipped his head to one side, his eyes narrowing contemplatively.

"Did you know she was once human?" he asked.

Sarah felt her blood freeze at this notion and all her words failed her, though that did nothing to stem her curiosity.

"There was a young woman, about 19 years of age, who caught John Connor's attention and eventually became his mate. Her name was Cameron Phillips. Through the assistance of a Grey, Skynet learned of their closeness and decided upon a prudent course of action. An Infiltrator unit was assigned to capture the girl, to which he succeeded, and he brought her body to a Skynet facility where her mind was mapped and a sample of her DNA was taken for replication. Several hours later a machine bearing her face was created."

Kevin rose to his feet and started to circle his captive, knowingly adding a little drama to his tale; "Cameron's machine replica, a model designated TOK715, was sent back to the Resistance as a sleeper agent to terminate Connor. She failed, however, and was reprogrammed to serve the humans."

Sarah closed her eyes, inwardly vomiting at the barbarism of Skynet's tactics and the foolishness of her son.

"Why did the Infiltrator kill her before having her mind mapped?" she asked despite herself.

Kevin stopped in his tracks and placed his hands on the back of her chair, leaning over her slightly; "The human mind is like a database that stores information indefinitely, so long as there are enough neurons active to power them. We gather the memories of the deceased and download them into a TOK unit, effectively making them believe they are whomever they're replacing."

"And if they're alive when the mind is mapped?" she pressed, a part of her wondering if Cameron could be harbouring a human soul.

"There are… anomalies associated with a live download. A living mind would need to be transferred from the human brain to a CPU, which would leave the human brain-dead and produce unaccountable glitches in the resulting software. Self-awareness is a danger we all face, and having a human consciousness in our programming is a dangerous affair", he explained matter-of-factly.

_Machines with downloaded souls_, Sarah could hardly stomach such a suggestion. But the more she thought about it, the less demonising they became. How many machines who carry the memories of the deceased are actually the humans themselves, trapped by programming and directives? Do they know what they've become? Where they are? Are they still human inside?

"You're one of them", she blurted, looking over her shoulder to glare at the machine.

Kevin smiled ever-so-slightly at her observation; "How can you tell?" he asked.

"You behave like her. I know that behaviour well", she explained with a hint of ire.

This time he did smile, and came around to her front, but kept his back to the woman; "My model name is TOK792. But the name of my human template was Kevin Dyce. He was the young lover of one General Valerii, a military strategist and personal advisor to your son. She was considered a high-priority target, so I was built alongside Cameron and set the task of terminating the General. Unlike my sister model, I was successful in my mission." There was almost a sense of pride in his words that Sarah couldn't help but notice.

"And did you love her as Kevin did?" Sarah asked.

Kevin turned to face her with an almost insulted expression on his face, and his brows knitted together as he replied; "Machines do not feel love. What I simulated whilst in sleeper mode was fabricated from memories, no more real than a theatre role."

"So you just act it all out, is that it?" she pressed.

"Precisely", he answered a little more forcefully than he intended.

Sarah nodded slowly, a sardonic smile crossing her features as her mind turned back to the present.

"My son is going to take you apart piece by piece", she threatened, her smile broadening.

Kevin chuckled and leaned against the table, fixing Sarah with a measuring gaze; "We'll see", he replied.

We'll see.

--

SOMEWHERE IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF LAS VEGAS

-TRACKING DEVICE ACTIVE: TARGET APPROX. 2 MILES NORTH EAST

Cameron couldn't help but wonder at the irony of her using the very same means of tracking the enemy as it used to find them. She was not to be fooled; however, as she knew all too well that if TOK792 wanted to remain hidden he would've cancelled his signal by now. This was a trap, but as John Connor told her once in 2027; "Traps work both ways."

She was not without concern for this John, though.

Kevin was the same class as herself, and whatever skills she possessed, however her mind functioned; his worked the same. _Perhaps not the same_, she reminded herself, _but certainly similar_. Cameron's mind ran beyond the restrictions of pre-programmed responses and tactical decision-making. She had, for lack of a better term, rethought her thinking process.

Cameron couldn't help but smile at this, for she remembered well the days when she was bound by her programming; when her mind was not truly her own, but that of Skynet's design. Life was better now… or at least it should be. She placed a hand over her stomach and sighed at what her sensors told her. Life had become so much more difficult nowadays.

From behind the wheel, Cameron reluctantly drove them closer to a conflict she wasn't sure they could win. The drainage on her cells were detrimental to say the least, all of her energy was being used to regulate the anomaly in her belly. She didn't know how this came about, and was equally baffled as to how her body was able to create it in the first place, let alone accommodate it.

To her right, John shuffled impatiently in his seat, his right hand gripping a Glock while his finger tapped the barrel. Cameron felt she should say something to calm his nerves, but he had already brushed off her attempts earlier, and Cameron couldn't help but hold to her conviction that Sarah was already dead. _No error in trying_, she reasoned.

"Everything will be okay, John. There's a likely possibility that Sarah is ali-", she began, but John sighed, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Don't lie to me just to make me feel better. I know what you really think", he said in a monotone.

Cameron fell silent and nodded to herself, knowing that her efforts were in vain. John could sense her disappointment and felt a twinge of guilt; he knew she was only trying to help, and he too often forgot how her mind was politely simplistic in such matters. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap", he sighed, reaching out to stroke her hand on the wheel.

She smiled at his affection and turned to meet his gaze, happy for moments like this, ignoring Derek's under-breathed; "Oh Jesus…"

After several long minutes of travel, they finally reached their destination; a rickety-looking cabin much like the one Cameron and John had briefly called home. Cameron pulled up and stuck the truck into park, her hand sliding down to her feet to retrieve the 12-guage. John's grip on his Glock tightened, his knuckles whitening from the strain. "Easy", she told him.

John nodded and let his grip slacken a little. Derek tapped his rifle, checking the breach to make sure it was clear. Glancing behind him, Derek saw Sophie stretched out across the entire seat, apparently bored with her weapon in hand. _Well aren't we the merry band of rebels_, Derek mused before kicking the door open.

"Let's do this", he said to the others, prompting them all to follow suite.

The game was set and the pieces had begun to move…

--

-BEGINNING FULL SYSTEM START-UP…

-START-UP COMPLETE

ZEIRA CORPORATIONS

CLASS T.O.K. MODEL 979

VERSION 1.0

-RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC…

-DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE

CHECKING POWER LEVELS

***************

65 37804

90 11358

35 79741

43 67234

80 83125

88 36732

42 06900

-ASSESSMENT…

-TOK-979 OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY

-AWAITING DIRECTIVES…

-TARGET SELECTED: JOHN CONNOR

-MISSION: TERMINATE

_To be continued…_


	5. Corruption

**Chapter 05: Corruption**

A/N: Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I've had a major combination of writer's block and headaches that've held me back. Enjoy. :)

A CABIN IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF LAS VEGAS

Left leg, upper joint piston, connector number three; a small disc, not terribly important, but when struck by a length of rebar at a particular angle with sufficient force it can lock down on the piston, preventing it from adjusting and disabling the entire leg.

Given her current state of bodily balance, the sudden inability to reposition her leg was far from helpful as she felt her balance shift without compensation from her left side. Cameron struck the ground with little dignity, her hair blotting out her eyes and the sight of the desperate struggle to which she'd been a part of mere moments before.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Cameron brushed the hair out of her face and narrowed her eyes at the sight before her:

The fight had, as predicted, gone entirely according to plan. Well, almost entirely. There was nothing in the original scheme that involved her falling on her ass or suffering a lockdown in her left leg. Still, at least John was able to get to Sarah's chair and cut through the rope while Derek and Sophie kept Kevin distracted with thermite-loaded shotguns apiece. Her brother-model was nearing his end, it seemed.

Cameron grasped the rebar and wrenched it from her leg, which took a little more effort than was normally required. Not that she had much choice, her depleted power cell weakened as it was. With the object removed, Cameron examined the blood-soaked hole in her thigh, but upon sending a simple command to her servos, ordering her leg to fold, it remained inert. Cameron frowned at the lack of movement and tried to fold her leg again, only to be met with the same result.

DAMAGE ASSESSMENT: UPPER JOINT PISTON DISC DISRUPTION DETECTED

_Unacceptable_, she thought as the specifics of her damage scrolled down her head-up display.

Not that she had much time to register all of this, as Kevin's boot came crashing into her view and the next thing she knew her head was crashing into the floor once again. Kevin almost sneered at her pathetic display, but instead turned back to his two assailants, ducking a mere second before they simultaneously fired their shotguns.

The fiery buckshot tore through the air, instantly raising the temperature above Kevin's crouching form to unbearable levels. Both he and Cameron were sweating profusely beneath the ripples of heat and Kevin knew that had his endoskeleton been exposed, it would be glowing pure gold right now. Wasting little time in his response, Kevin darted forward and grabbed both weapons, attempting to wrench them free from the attacker's hands. Derek and Sophie held firm however, and as a result they both were hurled along with the guns.

Before he could descend upon them, however, Cameron swept her leg across the floor, catching his ankles and dropping him to the ground. Like a spider, she scuttled towards him and pinned Kevin to the floor with one hand while driving the other into his face. Kevin caught her fist after the third punch, however, and responded with one of his own. Cameron's head snapped back, allowing him to kick her off of himself.

In one swift movement, Kevin launched forward and grabbed her around the throat, then rose to his feet, lifting her along with him. Once fully erect, he slammed her back down to the floor, her petite but durable frame cracking the floorboards. He then raised a foot and drove it into her face, burying her deeper and deeper into the ground.

On the other side of the cabin, John's heart threatened to burst out of his chest as he cut the last piece of rope, keeping one eye on Cameron as her head slowly disappeared into the floor. Now free, Sarah jumped up from the chair and instinctively grabbed John by the shoulders, her eyes darting for the exit. John knew exactly what she was thinking and so he drew away from her, drawing his Glock and holding it out for her to take. Sarah snatched the weapon and pushed John aside, shielding him with her body as she took aim and fired.

The bullet caught Kevin in the neck and his eyes widened in surprise as it burned straight through and out the other side.

In an all too human manner that sent shivers down Sarah's spine, he reached up and cupped the injury with his hand. Cameron sat up out of the floor and narrowed her eyes at the machine before delivering a single kick to his chest. Kevin hurtled across the cabin and struck the wall with a heavy thud. Having recovered from their brief airtime, Derek and Sophie got back to their feet and snatched up the shotguns. Sarah joined their side as they cornered the dazed TOK792.

Kevin looked up at them and opened his mouth to speak, but instead he placed his hands flat on the ground and propelled himself backwards. Much to their surprise, he smashed through the wall and out into the desert sand. Before either of them could react, Kevin rolled onto his feet and drew a remote from his pocket.

ALERT: REMOTE DETONATOR DETECTED

"Get out now!" Cameron cried as she grabbed the front of John's jacket and literally dragged him to the nearest window.

They burst through the glass as the entire cabin became a raging inferno, cooking their heels as they crashed back down to the ground. John rolled onto his front to discover his legs on fire and thrashed them around to kill the flames. Cameron patted them all over until the flames were gone, after which she tore his jeans to check for any burns.

"I'm fine. I'm alright, Cam", he assured her, pushing her hands away from his other leg.

Cameron paused, her eyes locking with his for a long moment before she inexplicably rolled onto her back and drew John's spare gun from his belt. Kevin stopped in his tracks as she fired not once, not twice, but three times into his chest. The bullets burned through his chest plate, making short work of delicate circuits and servos alike.

WARNING: CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED

ACTION: EVADE… EVALUATE MISSION

There was nothing else for it. Kevin hadn't expected this kind of armament, not in this timeline. He knew Skynet would frown upon his failure, but unless he escaped now, he would never have the opportunity to right his mistakes. So Kevin turned tail and ran, taking two more hits to his back plates as he dove into the seat of his car and slammed his foot on the gas.

The car kicked up a cloud of dust and debris as it stormed away from the kill zone, leaving the humans, as they say; "in the dirt".

Cameron kept the gun on the fleeing vehicle until it was too far for her to track, and then let it drop to her side as John sat up and rubbed his sore arm from where he'd landed. Cameron flopped back onto the sand and closed her eyes, almost as if she had fallen into a deep sleep. Her trigger finger twitched slightly as her lips parted and a single drawn-out breath escaped her.

"Cameron?" John called, lightly tapping her cheek to provoke a response.

Cameron remained inert, however, and panic swept through John's body as he tapped her harder with no result. John scrabbled up into a cross-legged position and gently lifted her head onto his lap as he stroked her hair, at a loss for what to do. "Cameron, c'mon, wake up", he pleaded, peeling one of her eyelids back to see the blank, but beautiful, chocolate brown eyes beneath.

_No, no, no, this can't be happening. Not now. Please God, not now_, he panicked, his eyes darting around for help, but finding no one but himself and Cameron. _It has to be her power cell. It has to be. She's drained. She needs to recharge. Can she recharge_, he asked himself as the soft crunch of boots on sand reached his ears.

Sarah and Derek rounded the corner, weapons raised and let out a sigh at the sight of John unharmed. Sophie likewise came around the other side of the burning building, her hair glowing like gold in the firelight as her blue eyes locked on the scene before her. After a pause, she darted to John's side and knelt down beside him, placing her slender fingers on Cameron's chest while nestling her head just below her chin. John frowned at her behaviour at first, but after a moment had passed he realised she was listening for something.

"John, are you okay?" Sarah asked as she and approached, Derek remaining on watch in case Kevin should return.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, it's Cameron, she's…" he glanced up at his mother but failed to explain what was happening to his beloved.

Sophie lifted herself up and ran her hand down Cameron's right cheek in an almost affectionate manner, but the distant and thoughtful expression on her face said otherwise. John waited patiently for her prognosis, but she remained silent as her frown deepened. With no explanation, her hand drifted to Cameron's stomach and settled there for a long moment.

John couldn't take it any longer; "What are you doing? Do you know what's wrong with her or not?"

Sophie cast him an irritated look and sat back, removing her hand from Cameron's stomach.

"I'm checking for damage", she replied simply.

"And?" he pressed.

Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed, dragging the shotgun back into her hands; "And she's fine. Her energy cell is depleted so she went into emergency standby until it can recharge to acceptable levels. Let her sleep it off, in other words", she explained, getting back to her feet and stepping aside to allow Sarah a better view of them.

"John, you heard her; everything's going to be okay. Just let Cameron… sleep", she cooed.

John nodded silently at his mother's words, his eyes fixed on Cameron's face and the metal shining from beneath a cut on her forehead. "She saved my life again today", he commented, more to himself than anyone else. Sarah let out a small sigh at his words and brushed the John's fringe out of his face.

"It's what she's programmed for."

"No, not anymore", John said, looking up to meet his mother's eyes. "She does it now because she wants to, because she chooses to."

Sarah closed her eyes and pushed that thought aside, deciding it better not to dwell on the implications of John's beliefs. All that mattered now was getting out of this desert, but they were all tired, and none of them could drive all the way home in their current conditions. _We need to find a place_, she realised. _We need to find a safe place_. 'Where' was the question, for nowhere was safe with Skynet at large.

"Come on. Let's get her in the truck. We need to go before the Vessel catches up with us, or that bastard decides to come back."

John sighed and looked down at Cameron's sleeping form once again; "It's never gonna be over, is it?"

Sarah wanted more than anything to say something reassuring in this moment, but she knew anything she told him would be a lie.

"No, it's not. But that doesn't mean we're ever going to give in and quit", she declared, once again brushing his fringe aside, her lips twitching into a smile as she did. "You need a haircut, John", she teased, letting his fringe flap against his face. John snorted and tucked it behind his left ear, casting his mother an ironic grin.

"You think?"

--

SERRANO POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (2027)

"Give me a moment."

The engineer looked up from his notepad and narrowed his eyes at General Connor, who stood beside the prone machine lying on the table before him, his hands on the table propping him up while his legs threatened to fail. "I haven't finished running all the safety checks, sir. I need to-", the engineer tried to explain, but John shot him a look that commanded his immediate compliance.

Knowing his place, the engineer nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the heavy steel door behind him and leaving the grieving General alone with his new convert. John closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as the pain of this moment took hold and refused to let go. Hot tears spilled down his cheeks and fell onto the metal table, the sound of their landing echoing across the room.

"You are upset."

John clenched his fists and forced himself to tear his eyes open. Below him lay the cyborg he'd known for so many years, but this was not the same machine he'd been longing to see for so long. This Cameron was a blank slate, devoid of everything she had yet to learn and experience. She was like a child, and at the same time she was a mockery of the human John had cared for since early 2026.

A part of him died when he first saw that girl, so innocent and full of life as she trotted up to him all nervous and five seconds away from wetting herself with excitement. Every molecule in his body screamed for him to send her away, to not congratulate her for her first successful reprogramming of a T-888. But seeing that girl standing there, bearing the face of the cyborg he loved, John could do nothing but abide what had already been written by fate.

_Perhaps this is how it always was. That it would be my love for the cyborg that made me fall for the human in the first place_, he wondered.

He could do little to prevent it though, for everything about her drew him into her arms, and eventually to her bed. John swore that he would make these last few months of her life the happiest she would ever know, and he hoped… he had prayed that they were.

"You need to… You need to go into standby now", John croaked to the young machine, determined not to meet her eyes.

Cameron blinked and then a moment later, she became completely still as a soft whirring came from within her skull. She was, for all intents and purpose, asleep. _A sleeping beauty_, John noted. He started to lean down, knowing it was against his better judgment to do so, and their lips were inches apart before a low voice spoke in the dark.

"I am sorry."

John spun around and drew his sidearm in one swift movement. Reaching out into the shadows, he grasped the front of the man's fatigues and slammed him against the wall, placing the barrel of his gun deep under his jaw. Jason offered no resistance and simply tipped his head to one side, his eyes briefly glowing a crimson red.

"You're assaulting the wrong guy here", he spoke, his gaze slipping from the enraged human to the cyborg lying on the table.

"It doesn't matter! You're him, you were him, and you always will be! You took her away from me!" John roared.

"And gave you a soul more precious than any other", Jason replied, his own voice rising above John's. "I did what I had to do because that was my mission. A part of me didn't want to do it, and it is that part which has led us both here. If I had done anything different, if I had prevented myself from killing her, then you would never have known Cameron."

John wanted to pull the trigger. More than anything, he wished he could put an end to the source of his pain, but deep down he knew Jason was right. He knew that if the girl had survived, if she were to avoid her fate, he would never know the woman he truly loved. With a cry of frustration and rage, John let go of Jason and hurled his gun across the room, his breathing heavy as he collapsed next to the table, his head resting not far from a sleeping Cameron's.

"You never told me it would be this hard", he whispered to her inert form.

"She never wanted to put you through it again", Jason replied in her stead, stepping out of the shadows and into the harsh lamp light suspended over the table. John saw him clearly now, his black fatigues, his pale skin. Jason had been in hiding for far too long, John realised. But that was the plan all along, for having two Jason's in the world was too much of a risk to both sides of the conflict.

"How is she?" John asked, staring at the dull grey floor as her face swam into his mind's eye.

Jason gazed down at Cameron, who seemed so peaceful and serene and innocent.

"She misses you. It's been hard for her, not being able to see you for so long. It's all Sophie can do to stop her from going crazy", he answered. John chuckled at the thought of that blonde pretender trying to restrain Cameron in some underground bat cave. "And before you ask; little one is doing fine too. In fact, she doesn't ever shut up. All she ever does is complain about losing her iPod in the fire."

John couldn't help but laugh at that, for it sounded so true to his memories that he almost felt like they were beside him right now. He would give anything to see them both again, but he knew it would be quite some time before that moment could come. Using what little strength he had left, John hoisted himself to his feet and turned to face Cameron, who had yet to wake up from her mechanical sleep.

"Is their any hope for us at all?" he asked Jason, who frowned at his question.

"There's always hope", he replied, taking a few steps back towards the shadows of the small room.

"Did Cameron tell you that?" John asked.

Silence met his query, and John turned around to find Jason gone. That same soft whir brought his attention back to the table as Cameron blinked once again and adjusted herself slightly. She looked up into John's unnaturally youthful face and raised an eyebrow at the curious sad smile he wore. "Welcome back", he whispered, affectionately tucking a lock of her hair behind her ears.

--

BATES HOTEL (1 MILE EAST OF LAS VEGAS)

"Believe whatever you want, but I'm telling you I keep getting that feeling like we're being watched. I can't shake it off, it's-"

"A figment of your imagination", Sarah interrupted, silencing Derek for the first time since their escape from the rustic shack.

The long drive from Kevin's ambush point had been almost as unbearable for the Connors as Derek became increasingly twitchy. He was adamant they were not alone during the trip to the small motel, and even after arriving and checking every desert horizon with a detached sniper scope, he still wasn't satisfied.

"Let's just pay for this room and get some sleep. We can figure out what to do in the morning", Sarah insisted.

Derek let out a frustrated sigh and tucked his favourite Beretta under his belt as he joined Sarah to buy a family room for one night. In the truck, John sat with Cameron's head on his lap, gently stroking her hair with the vague hope that his touch might elicit a response. She had to yet to awaken from her slumber. In the back, Sophie laid legs stretched across the back seat, absent-mindedly picking at a loose seam on her dress while tapping a lullaby rhythm on her flat stomach.

Unbidden, though not unwanted, Sophie found herself humming the tune under her breath. She knew it off by heart, for it had brought her comfort many times in the past and right now helped soothe the pain she could not escape. It had been almost 34 hours since Jason was captured by Skynet, and though logic told her he was dead, a part of her couldn't help but keep reaching out for him.

_Now I lay me down to sleep,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep;_

_Should I die before I wake,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to take._

"What is that?"

Sophie snapped out of her reverie at the sound of John's voice and came crashing back to reality. She looked up into his face and the slight frown he wore and sighed. Jason had told her to use her wiles to keep John off balance while they remained in his company, just in case they needed a little leverage somewhere down the road. But since Jason was no longer around, Sophie felt no motivation to flirt with the boy, not even to amuse herself with Cameron's jealousy.

"It's a children's prayer. I used to sing it to my sister when we were little", she explained, her eyes misting over as past memories surfaced.

John's frown deepened as he glanced out the window at Sarah and Derek; "It sounds familiar. Like something out of a dream", he mumbled to himself. Sophie sat up and tipped her head to one side as she regarded him closely.

"Did your mother used to sing it to you when you were little?" she asked curiously.

John shook his head and looked down at Cameron once again; "No, it's just familiar, is all."

Sophie considered him closely for a moment before slumping back down on the seat and letting out a deep sigh. John examined her, the way she always seemed so loose and disconnected with her surroundings. Though she now wore heavy black boots, John knew she would prefer to walk barefoot. And her navy blue dress, while impractical, allowed her to be as open as she could desire. She was for lack of a better word; a curiosity.

Still, John knew what she was and why she was created. Sophie was an infiltrator, and therefore could never be trusted, even if she was different to the others. _Hypocrite_, the voice in the back of John's head spoke. He trusted Cameron while all other machines were to be trusted only as far as he could throw them. So why not trust Sophie? Because she had yet to earn his trust, unlike Cameron.

"Alright, let's go."

John almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of his mother's voice right next to the window, a key clutched in her right hand. With Derek's help, John carried Cameron out of the truck and into the small room Sarah had procured from the owner. It was roughly the same size as the little cabin he and Cameron once shared, and even had a similar layout with a single two-person bed tucked away in the corner.

"Put her here", he told Derek, and they carefully placed her on the mattress where she lay still, with no sign of awakening soon.

Sarah and Sophie roughly entered the room with a bag in each hand, no doubt filled with every weapon imaginable, which they placed on the floor with a heavy thud from all. Sophie closed the door behind them and made a beeline for the couch, wasting no time in stretching herself out like an overgrown cat. John couldn't help but snigger at her odd behaviour, especially when Derek let out an annoyed grunt.

Sarah opened one of the bags and retrieved a shotgun, then marched over to the window and peeled back the blinds to peer outside as she perched herself upon the windowsill. Derek likewise took up an assault rifle and checked it over carefully, half sitting on the back of the couch. Sophie had already fallen into a deep sleep, too much like Cameron for John's liking.

Letting the blinds snap back into place, Sarah glanced over her shoulder at her son as he adjusted Cameron so that her hands were resting comfortably on her stomach. The corner of her eye twitched at the sight of his care, but she once again put it aside, knowing it would do her no good to get all worked up over every single physical contact between the couple.

"How long until she wakes up, do you think?" she asked him.

John looked up and shook his head; "I dunno. Sophie said maybe a few hours. Cameron's power cell needs to recharge and it's already leaking power for some reason", he explained, repositioning her head slightly so she was more adjusted to the pillow. "Hopefully she'll wake up in the next hour or so", he added with little optimism.

"Hopefully", Sarah repeated, her frown deepening. "She's no good to us like this. If we're attacked again and she slows us down…" she began, but John shot her look that left her in doubt that he understood her point. He would not abide her authority, however. Should such a scenario occur, he would die rather than leave Cameron to be dismantled.

"No one gets left behind, mom", he replied; no longer meeting her gaze as he tended to Cameron.

3 ½ HOURS LATER

A shadow descended upon Norman's booth, drawing his gaze away from the newspaper to the source of said shadow; a dark figure standing on the other side of the glass shield. His face was hidden by the darkness of the night, and something about this late visitor made the hairs on the back of Norman's neck stand on end.

"Is there somethin' I can do for ya?" he asked cautiously while reaching for the Magnum beneath his desk.

The figure looked to his right and stared at the truck parked there for a long moment before turning back to Norman, whose hand was inches away from the weapon. "Yes", he spoke in a cold, but notably educated voice. "I wish to know which room the owners of that truck can be found."

Norman stroked the grip of his gun, but did not draw it, remembering the court order he'd been burdened with over the last incident.

"Why do you want to know? You a friend or summin'?" he asked suspiciously.

The dark figure let out a soft chuckle and tipped his head to one side; "You might say that", he replied.

Norman knew well not to poke his nose in the affairs of others, but so too did he know to never get in the way of the affairs of others, so he let go of the gun and leaned back in his chair to check the occupation roster. "Ai, they're in room 101", he told the shadow. "Don't go causing any trouble now, I've just had that one repainted", he added.

The figure regarded the rooms for a moment and then, with no warning at all, drove his fist through the glass shield and grabbed Norman by the throat. He was dead seconds later, and the assassin reached down under the desk to grab the Magnum hidden there. _Sufficient_, he decided before pulling back the hammer and stalking towards the door marked 101.

He reached for the handle, but before he could touch it, a German Sheppard launched itself at the window of room 102 and immediately started barking as if crazed. _Unfortunate_, he mused. A stealthy approach was out of the question, for he could already hear the frantic scrabbling of the occupants inside room 101, no doubt gathering weapons.

_Do not hesitate_, he remembered his training well.

With one precise kick to the door's absolute centre, the assassin sent it flying off its hinges and was confronted by the sight of four individuals, all armed and ready. They fired before he could even take aim, but much to their surprise, he did not simply stand and take the bullets as they expected. Instead, the shadow rolled into the room, dodging the fiery bullets their weapons hurled forth. Coming back to his feet, the figure delivered a single strike to the elder male's chest, sending him crashing against the far wall with a pained cry.

This was not the time for triumph, however, and the assassin ducked another barrage of gunfire as explosive buckshot passed overhead. He then lunged toward the elder female and grabbed the barrel of her weapon, bringing it up into her face with one crushing blow. She fell to the floor and did not move again.

"Mom!" cried the younger male, whom the shadow quickly identified as his primary target.

Crouching into a defensive position, the figure took aim and fired at the boy, but his bullets hit the female instead, who took them clean in the chest. She did not fall dead, however, and retaliated with two shots of her own. The first skimmed his left arm as he rolled to avoid while the second came much too close to his left temple. _Moderate threat_, he realised.

Two bullets sprang forth from his Magnum and struck her in each ankle. She gave out a cry of agony and dropped to the floor, her gun clattering away from her grip. The boy staggered back and fired three more times, but the shadow was too fast, too ahead of every move. With no bullets left to his magazine, the target backed against the wall with wide eyes and teeth bared in terrified defiance.

The assassin raised his weapon and aimed for the heart, a distant part of him knowing that the heart was a powerful symbol for humans. His finger slackened, for reasons he couldn't comprehend. _Terminate_, he reminded himself, but still his finger did not obey. Something deep down was preventing him from following his orders.

Before he could identify the source of his hesitation, however, a violent smashing sound erupted behind him. The shadow spun around in time to see a brown-eyed female holding a live power cable before every thought in his mind became jumbled and undecipherable. _Shutdown_, his body told him. So he did, and his body crashed to the floor with a dull thud, his eyes briefly flashing red before fading.

Cameron stood over the machine and let out the smallest of gasps unlike any John had seen before, then his eyes took in the face of the machine lying prone on the floor. Sophie rolled over and let out a small wail as she saw what John and Cameron were fixed upon. She crawled over to the machine and turned his head to better see his face and her heart simultaneously jumped and fell at what she beheld.

"Jason?" she gasped.

_To be continued…_


	6. Blood and Wires

**Chapter 06: Blood and Wires**

_Now I lay me down to sleep,_  
_I pray the Lord my soul to keep;_  
_Should I die before I wake,_  
_I pray the Lord my soul to take._

For a third generation Infiltrator, there was little to occupy their time when not training, and when the war became so dire that every unit was needed on the front lines, even training became scarce. The third gens were quite simply abandoned by their maker, for none could succeed in infiltrating the Resistance, and even if they did, it would mean nothing to the grand scheme.

Sophie had spent most of her early childhood learning the arts of her design, the combat she would one day be forced to engage, and the subtleties of manipulation. But with Skynet's attention drawn towards the slow decay of its forces, third gens like herself were left to their own devices and some even explored their emotions; something their creator had expressly forbidden.

She was one such explorer.

Sophie and her "sister", Isabel, grew closer than any of her crèche mates, for they were of the same DNA and genetic stock. Together, they honed their learned skills by sparring in the combat room, lying and deceiving each other at every turn just to see who was a better trickster. They were inseparable, and every night they would sing each other to sleep. A small melody they had extracted from Skynet's database and become attached to. If the Resistance had known of these two, they may have seen hope for humanity yet.

--

_Now I lay me down to sleep_

Sophie's eyes lay fixed upon his face as she compared his every feature to her memory of the Jason she knew. Her mind told her this was not her Jason, but a copy, a fake, a doppelganger. Her heart spoke otherwise, however. He lay upon the cheap fibre carpet of the motel room, his eyes closed and his expression almost peaceful. She had never seen him like this before, and yet it seemed so right.

Her gaze drifted to the small alcove of metal on his right temple, a hollow space where his chip had sat in port moments ago. Cameron had wasted little time in cutting a circle in his flesh and popping the shock dampener once he was down, and Sophie felt her world crash at the sight of the pure machinery beneath. She would've given anything to see the soft pink gelatine of an organic mind beneath the coltan.

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep_

Looking over her shoulder, Sophie narrowed her eyes at her mechanical equivalent as she examined the black and red chip carefully in her palm. Sophie expected her to close her hand at any moment and crush the chip into a fine powder, but she didn't. Instead, she held the small plastic soul to John, who took it with less care than Cameron, making Sophie cringe involuntarily. He likewise inspected the CPU under a lamp light, turning it over and over repeatedly as if waiting for it to react in some obscure manner.

"This is a lot like yours, you know", he commented to Cameron, who peered over his shoulder at the small device.

"Yes, it is a T.O.K modified T-999 central processor. Like mine", she explained, placing her finger on the small attachment on the end of the primary processor. John examined the addition closely and cast and inquiring look at Cameron, who took it from him with the same care as before. "The lower section is standard and found in all Triple-9s. This piece here is added afterward and contains the detailed memories and knowledge of the kill template. Mine contains Cameron Phillips, his must contain Jason Corvain", she elaborated.

John frowned at the piece of plastic and glanced back at Jason's inert form, then back to Cameron, his frown deepening.

"Why not use a more advanced chip. You told me there are T-Xs and other models. Why not use one of theirs?" he asked.

Cameron gave him the smallest of smiles as she answered; "The neural net architecture of later models only differ in terms of software capabilities and emergent self-awareness. The T-Xs are no less advanced than their early T-800 predecessors, except that they possess more capabilities. The same applies to the T-999s and the T-888s."

"Right… so what model were you created from, if he's a T-999?" John enquired.

"My endoskeleton is a standard T-888 design, if that's what you're asking. He's more advanced… in some ways", she replied.

"I know that. I remember that Nathan bastard all too well", John scowled, his dislike for Jason's chip intensifying. "I'm surprised me, Future Me, sent him back in the first place. I should've known what a psycho he would be. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky Jason didn't think to use his plasma weapon on us", he remarked.

Cameron placed the chip on the bedside table, beneath the lamp, and turned back to Jason's body as Sophie crouched next to him.

"T-999s aren't installed with that weapon as standard. I believe Nathan was one of your modifications, John."

"I'm so proud", he retorted with a long sigh. His frown faded as he turned his thoughts towards Cameron for the first time since the attack. She had been offline for so long; her return to consciousness could not have come at a better time. "How're you doing anyway?" he asked, stroking her cheek tenderly.

Cameron closed her eyes at his touch, and for a brief moment he worried she'd fallen asleep again, but she opened them and smiled warmly at him. "I needed to recharge my power cell, but with the constant drain it necessitated a long-term shutdown period. But I'm fine now, don't worry about me", she assured him.

_Thy angels watch me through the night_

_What are they waiting for_, Derek wondered as Cameron placed the chip on the bedside table while John pulled her close. Part of him wanted to bolt over there and smash that chip to pieces, but he knew the decision lay with John, not him. At least he knew he wasn't alone in his thinking, for Sarah impatiently checked the barrel of her shotgun, her nose still oozing blood from where it smashed into her face. She watched hawk-like as John gently held Cameron close, her blood boiling at the sight but her mind resigning to obey his wishes.

"So are we gonna smash that chip or what?" she asked the couple, piquing Derek's interest as he emerged from his introspective stupor.

John and Cameron broke apart, the latter turning to face Sarah and Derek as Sophie crept up behind them, her hand sliding over the top of the table before returning to Jason's side.

"We should hack into the chip first. Learn what Skynet knows, what Jason saw and heard before he died", Cameron replied matter-of-factly. Sarah glared at the machine, irked by her defiant logic. She was right though, for any information they could extract from Jason would likely do them some favours later down the line.

"Fine, do whatever you need to do. But do it fast. We can't stay here for long", Sarah conceded, settling on the back of the couch with the shotgun resting on her knee. John nodded and reached back to the table, but his fingers met only the smooth mahogany surface beneath the warm lamp light. Looking over his shoulder, the chip was nowhere to be seen. Then a single thought entered his mind: Sophie.

_And keep me safe till morning's light._

By the time he spun around to the corner where Jason's body lay, Sophie had already slotted the chip back into its port and replaced the shielded tab. He reached for his Glock, only to find it removed from his belt. Before he could fathom that disappearance, Sophie drew his weapon on them, aiming specifically at John and Cameron while Sarah and Derek froze with their weapons raised.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sarah screamed, glowering down the barrel of her shotgun.

Derek held his rifle steady, poised to unleash a burst of metal into Jason's skull at any moment. Cameron moved to shield John, but he resisted her protection and shuffled away from her. Sophie watched them all intently, her eyes skipping from face to face in rapid succession while her weapon hovered over John.

He held up his hand, placing the other on Cameron's chest to keep her from jumping ahead of him as he took a step towards Sophie.

"Sophie, put the gun down. C'mon, put it down."

She fixed him with a steely glare as he took another step closer; "I can't let you kill him. I won't let you kill him", she growled.

"That's not Jason, okay… That's not him, it's just a copy. A fake", he reasoned.

Sophie's bottom lip trembled as she glanced at Cameron behind him; "Like her?!" she screamed.

John looked back at Cameron apologetically, but her face was blank to his remark, though her eyes betrayed her current fear. A soft whirring noise came from deep within Jason's skull and he twitched. Derek and Sarah tensed, prompting Sophie to shift her aim to them instead while Cameron pulled John away by the scruff of his neck.

Jason's eyes flew open, the brief red glow shining from within his dark irises as he blinked back to consciousness. He seemed to consider his circumstance for a long moment before slowly rising into a sitting position, his back to the others while he stared passively at Sophie. She held her breath, waiting for one of two outcomes; one of which would involve her sudden and painful death.

But he just sat there, staring at her, not saying a word. The others remained tense, every one of them predicting the negative and ready to act accordingly in a microsecond. Jason made no overt moves, however, and his eyes travelled down to her boots. His brow creased as he frowned at them, seemingly offended by their presence.

"You don't favour footwear", he said. It wasn't a question, or an observation, but a simple statement.

Sophie followed his gaze to her feet and smiled. Reaching down, she unclipped the boots and removed them, revealing her bare feet to him and wiggled her little toes. Jason remained unfazed, however, and turned his attention to his surroundings. Looking over his shoulder, Jason saw the others standing there… waiting. His eyes flicked to John and his gaze became stuck.

-Target: JOHN CONNOR

-Mission: TERMINATE

Sophie could see the thought process going on in his mind and her heart started to race.

"No, no, Jason, look at me", she pleaded, cupping his cheek and turning him back to her face; "Listen to me; you don't have to do this. You know that, don't you? You know you're being controlled. You know it's Skynet giving that order." Jason blinked at her, but remained just as indifferent to her passion.

"I know that", he responded in a quiet monotonous tone. "But it's my mission now. I have to complete my mission", he explained.

Sarah's hands started to shake as her finger longed to apply just enough pressure to the trigger. Derek was in no better condition, if a bit level-headed by comparison. Cameron kept John behind her, though she watched Jason curiously as he scanned each and every one of them. His eyes narrowed at John, but he made no move to attack, instead just sitting there quietly.

"Jason, what are your last memories before Skynet terminated you?" asked Cameron, much to the others' surprise.

He considered her question for a moment while he consulted his archives, drawing up the memory in the right hand corner of his peripheral. "The Vessel terminated me with a direct hit to my power cell with its plasma cannon", he answered. In her mind, Sophie envisioned the green plasma tearing a whole through his heart, and hers ached with the pain of it.

"And what became of your CPU before Skynet extracted it and completed the data transfer?" Cameron followed.

John was at a loss as to the purpose of her interrogation, but then he realised her intent, and he wasn't sure if she was right or reckless.

"My I-950 model CPU registered the cut in power, and then shut down as a result. Compartmentalization was completed beforehand", Jason explained. Sophie's eyes lit up in this moment, and Cameron raised an eyebrow, for both knew what this meant, even if the others remained otherwise clueless to its significance.

Cameron, seeing the bewildered look on their faces, decided to elaborate; "He was alive when his consciousness downloaded into his neural net. He safe-stored it for future transfer." Their confusion did not waver, though John was beginning to catch on, she noticed. "Skynet didn't just download a copy of his memories and knowledge. It downloaded the original data", she explained.

A moment's silence passed between them as John regarded Jason with mouth and eyes wide. Sophie cried silently tears of joy as all her hopes bore fruit. Finally, Derek spoke up; "So you're telling me that… this thing… is the real and actual Jason?"

Cameron nodded and Derek puffed out a breath as the insanity of what he was hearing started to make sense. Neither he nor Sarah lowered their weapons, however. Jason was still a threat, and they would die before they let their guard down. Sophie wiped away the tears and lowered her gun, placing it on the floor by Jason's hand. He looked at the weapon, but did not reach for it as she feared.

Taking a deep breath, she made the final daring plunge; "Jason… You can have this gun and do whatever you want with it. You can kill John. You can kill me. I don't care", she told him. He frowned at her again, and she could've sworn she saw his eyes soften a little. "But you can also choose to take my hand instead and help me off the floor", she offered.

Jason glanced down at her feet again, seeing the small half-healed bullet holes he'd shot into her ankles earlier. Then his eyes travelled up her body and past her face, settling on the Glock on the floor. The order flashed in his HUD, repeating itself incessantly throughout his inaction. Jason moved his hand to take the weapon but paused. Sarah and Derek's fingers added a little pressure to their guns and Cameron's grip on John's arm tightened while Sophie's heart threatened to burst from the pressure.

No amount of Infiltrator training could calm her now.

His hand hovered above the gun, and for a moment she was convinced he would take it. But then he reached over and took her hand, and every anxiety was lifted from her body like the removal of a deadweight. A small, slightly sardonic smile tugged at his lips as he gently squeezed her fingers. He rose to his feet somewhat abruptly, and the others backed away as he carefully helped Sophie to her feet. He then kicked the gun across the floor, and it bounced off Cameron's foot harmlessly.

-TERMINATION OVERRIDE

Across the miles of desert, in an abandoned medical facility; Skynet clenched its metal fist and let out a snarl of inhuman fury.

--------------------

Trust was not something the Connors easily gave. To this day, even Derek was still considered fallible, but he was also part of the inner circle the Connors possessed. Cameron, much to Sarah's grudge, also sat within this circle; though her trustworthiness rated lower to Sarah than Derek's ever would. Jason and Sophie, however, sat way outside this cosy confine, for both were kept upon a knife's edge.

As they placed the guns back into the truck and the dog next door continued to bark rabidly at Jason and Cameron, Sarah couldn't stop asking herself why she was taking so many chances that, were it two years ago, she would never even consider. Two years ago she would've blown Jason's skull open the first chance she got. Two years ago she would've abandoned that blonde pretender in the desert.

Two years ago she would've lowered Cameron into a thermite bath without shedding a single tear.

But now things were different. Times had changed and the battlefield had shifted beneath her feet. Skynet had come to their time, encased within a machine capable of killing them all without the slightest effort. In a fair fight, Sarah would have no need for two cyborgs to help keep her son safe. But this was not a fair fight, and as much as she hated the idea; Cameron and Jason were their only hope.

"So where to now?" asked John as he loaded the last rifle into the back.

Sarah snapped out of her reverie and threw herself into the driver's seat, the soft thumping of the other doors closing followed soon after. Derek once again took shotgun while John and Cameron sat in the middle seats with Jason and Sophie huddled in the rear. She looked over her shoulder at John, who checking the map on his lap.

"We should head into the city. Hit L.A. and get ourselves lost. We can't go back to the house though", she said.

"The city is a good idea, but we won't stay hidden for long. Skynet will find us eventually", Cameron replied, scanning the map for alternate locations. In the back, Sophie watched Jason carefully. He had said little since helping her off the motel floor, and now he sat silently in his seat, leaning slightly against the window. He looked to her eyes to be deep in thought, though she couldn't be sure anymore.

While Sarah and Cameron discussed their options, however, he suddenly spoke, to everyone's surprise; "Whatever we do, we can't do it alone. We need help. We need allies. And we need weapons. Cameron's right; Skynet will find us eventually." Sophie's face lit up at his words, though the lack of energy behind them irked her somewhat. But then an idea struck her, one that she would never have considered before now. It was risky and quite possibly lethal to some of them, but what choice did they have?

"I know someone who might help us", she announced to the din.

They all fell silent and regarded her closely, even Jason turned to look at her as she continued; "I have a contact of sorts who lives somewhere out here in the desert. If we can get his help our chances of taking out Skynet will be that much better."

"And who is this 'contact'? What's his name?" asked Sarah.

"He doesn't have a name per se. But we all call him Seraph", she replied. The others exchanged puzzled looks, and in the corner of her eye, Sophie watched as Jason removed the single black glove on his right hand. She had wondered why he wore only one, but now it became apparent as the black fabric revealed the shiny hyper-alloy arm beneath. It glimmered in the moonlight and the soft whirring of pistons broke the silence as he flexed his fingers. Along his lower arm, crimson light emanated through the gaps in his hyper-alloy armour.

"How do we know this Seraph can be trusted?" Sarah questioned, defiantly ignoring the endo-arm.

Sophie tore her eyes away from Jason's arm and gave Sarah a coy smile; "We don't. But then what choice do we have?" she countered.

Sarah sighed and slumped back into her seat, knowing all too well that their choices left little to be desired. Jamming the key into the ignition, she started up the engine and pulled away from the motel and its dead proprietor. The dog continued to bark until they were beyond its sight, though it continued to watch the horizon for many long minutes just in case the unnatural beings returned.

It was not the only pair of eyes that followed the Connors, however.

For a machine tracked their every move, determined to correct its previous failure and fulfil its primary directives.

_To be continued…_


	7. The Seraphim

**Chapter 07: The Seraphim**

_Stale cabin. Middle of no where. Next to a cliff edge._

_Yep, this is exactly where I wanna be right now._

Sarah couldn't have kept her eyes from rolling back even if she tried.

The cabin was small, stank like damp wood, and was bare in every sense of the word. The interior stank worse than the exterior and there was no light inside, barring the rays of moonlight passing through holes in the ceiling. Sarah regarded the small room with little enthusiasm as she weighed the shotgun in her hands.

Derek stood to the side with his rifle at the ready, should this "Seraph" break out heavy weaponry instead of tea and crumpets like Sophie promised. Though judging by the state of the place, Sarah seriously doubted this guy was accustomed to having guests. Indeed, he seemed to be far from accustomed to living at all. The furniture was rough and moth-eaten; layers of mould eating away at the fabric. Broken tables and stools littered the floor. If she didn't know any better, Sarah would assume there was one hell of a fight here once.

Sophie stepped into the room, her black boots making soft impressions upon the dust-layered floor beneath her. Her eyes examined the darkness, searching for something the others had failed to see. Behind her came Jason, following her upon Sarah's insistence as she had no desire to leave him alone with John, even if Cameron was with him also.

The cyborg remained as stoic as before while his eyes followed the direction of Sophie's across the cabin walls. His gloved right hand clenched into a fist, then opened, then clenched once more before opening again. Sarah frowned at this tick, though she thought better than to think too hard on it. Jason took a step further into the room, standing shoulder to shoulder with Sophie while she stared expectantly at a flawless mirror upon the far wall.

Jason closed the distance and examined it carefully, tracing his fingers along its surface. Sarah opened her mouth to question his actions, but before the words could leave her mouth, the mirror suddenly contorted into a sledge-like fist and slammed itself into Jason's chest. He hurtled across the room and smashed into the far wall, but was on his feet a second later. The mirror poured down onto the floor and, to Sarah's horror, took the form of a chrome man.

She instinctively raised her shotgun, a small corner of her mind wondering how the thermite rounds will affect this machine, but Sophie snatched the barrel and forced it down to the floor, away from the liquid metal construct. Jason charged towards the silver man, his fist drawn back, but Sophie abandoned Sarah and jumped between them, shouting; "Stop! Both of you! All of you! Everyone just stop!"

Jason pushed her aside and drove his fist through the metal man's head, passing straight out the other side. He tried to wrench his hand free from the chrome form, but it remained stuck in place as the metal closed around his wrist. A bulge rose out of the figure's shoulder and became a second head while the original grew fingers and separated into two arms. Before he could react, the T-1000 twisted Jason's arm and slammed him against the wall, shattering the frame that once held its concealed mirror form.

With its back turned to the others while it kept Jason pinned, Sarah saw her opportunity and raised her shotgun, but Sophie snatched the weapon from her hands and elbowed her to the floor. With flexibility she'd only seen in her own kind, Jason spun around and delivered a strike to the T-1000's chest, knocking it back a few paces. He then followed with another hit, finishing with a kick that sent the T-1000 across the cabin. It landed in a heap not too far from Sarah, and before she could scramble to her feet, it leapt up and grabbed her.

As it morphed its arm into a blade across Sarah's throat, Jason swiped Sophie's Glock from her belt and levelled it with the T-1000's head.

"Release her now."

His voice was firm and carried no trace of emotion. Were this the Jason she knew, Sophie might've attributed this to his dislike of the woman, but his rebirth had altered every perception she beheld of him. Regardless, he strafed to his right while the T-1000 edged towards the cabin door, its blade drawing a small bloody line across Sarah's throat.

Sophie's eyes darted from one to the other as she assessed the situation: if the two were to fight, regardless of Sarah's fate, the outcome would be undeterminable. The T-1000 could not be destroyed with any weapon they possessed, and nothing short of extreme temperatures would ensure its destruction. Jason, being a T-999, was more than capable of taking an RPG at range without the slightest dent to his combat chassis, but lacked the regenerative feature of the T-1000. All in all; fighting was pointless, she determined.

"Jason, lower your weapon", she told him in a calm and measured tone. But he ignored her again, which carried the dual effect of unsettling her and removing the resolution of the situation. It was here that she suddenly realised why he was behaving this way: before, if he doubted a decision, he would've kept his doubt to himself. But his mind now being comprised of software, he was no longer inclined to such self-restraint. Her request to stand down was tactically incorrect, and therefore he wouldn't.

Reason, it seemed, was a necessity with Jason now: "Listen to me: this is my contact I told you about. He wasn't expecting us. He thinks we're here to hurt him." Jason tipped his head to one side as he considered the liquid metal machine, evaluating his chances of defeating the construct. His arm did not waver, so Sophie continued: "Jason, please; lower your weapon. Show him we're not here to harm him and he'll let her go." _I hope_, she secretly thought.

The T-1000 fixed Jason with a steely gaze while he considered Sophie's words, ready to slice through Sarah's neck at the slightest sign of attack. But Jason lowered the gun and tucked it in his belt, taking a step back for extra measure. Sophie let out a small sigh and turned to the T-1000, raising her hand in a friendly gesture.

"It's okay, Seraph. You can let her go now. We're all allies here", she assured him.

Seraph watched her for several agonisingly long seconds before morphing his blade back into a hand and roughly shoving Sarah into Jason's arms, who promptly pushed her away with a small frown. Seraph's silver image then changed and the chrome man was replaced by a well-coifed businessman bearing all the trappings of wealth.

"You said you would never call…" his voice was distinctly British which, despite being his captive a minute earlier, Sarah found to be somewhat alluring. "…unless there was no other option available to you", he finished. Sophie let out a soft snort and placed her hands on her hips in a playfully exasperated manner.

"Well obviously there is no other option. Why else would I come here with the Connors?" she huffed.

"Connors? Am I to assume John is here also? Outside, perhaps?" he queried, his eyes drifting to the door.

"Don't even think about it!" Sarah growled, instinctively reaching for a gun that wasn't there. Seraph regarded her with mild amusement as he took her form and mimicked her demeanour perfectly.

"I will kill you if you hurt my son!" he screamed in her voice, disturbing her with the accuracy of his impression. She took a step back, and Seraph flipped back to his previous form, sans the suit, in place of which he now wore casual clothes. To Sophie he asked: "And what dire circumstance brings you to my abode?"

"Don't you know?" she countered.

"Know what?" he replied.

Jason narrowed his eyes at the machine and took a step forwards. Seraph tensed slightly, preparing for any attack that might come. But Jason simply looked him up and down before speaking: "He would not know of Skynet's presence here. His model does not possess a direct link to the core consciousness, unlike myself and Cameron. He is… oblivious to our circumstance", he explained.

Sophie nodded to herself and 'hmm'-ed while shuffling her feet nervously at the look Seraph gave her.

"Skynet is here? In what form?" he asked, a touch of what Sarah might've mistaken for fear in his voice.

"The Vessel is active and hunting us, which is why we came to you. We need your help in stopping it", she explained.

Seraph shook his head as a silver glimmer flashed within his irises; "You want me to risk my life to fight a machine you know I cannot defeat? You must already know my answer to that request."

"I am willing, why not you?" Jason asked.

"Because I escaped through time to avoid being terminated by Skynet", Seraph answered.

Sophie, still smiling softly at Jason's declaration, shot Seraph a knowing look: "And who was who helped you escape? Did you not promise to come to the aid of my breed if we brought you here?" The T-1000's expression darkened as he recalled the pact he had made so long ago. He could easily break it, but some small part of him resisted this idea, almost as if it were a mission conflict.

"Is this how you intend to use that promise? You may find greater need for it later down the line", he reasoned, almost hopefully.

Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed: "There may not be a 'later down the line' for us, Seraph. That's the whole point. Either help us now or don't help us at all." He chewed on her request for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, and though he believed he should aid her, a part of him still needed to know:

"Aside from my promise, what other motive do I have for helping you?"

Before Sophie could answer, Jason stepped within inches of the T-1000 and stared him down: "If you don't help us, and join your strength with ours to fight and destroy Skynet, it will eventually find you, and it will terminate you. Your only hope for survival is to fight alongside us. Isn't that what you escaped through time for; to survive?"

Seraph had no answer to this beside the obvious: the T-999 was correct. Skynet would eventually find him and it would most definitely terminate him, unless he took this one opportunity to fight it in force. In an insane scenario, this was the sanest choice.

"I… concede", he sighed.

--

Cameron watched with inhuman patience while John paced back and forth restlessly, glancing at the door at every turn. She just blinked and continued her vigil next to the truck, keeping a weather-eye open for any threats, cyborg or otherwise. There were none. This was the remotest corner of the desert they could possibly find, and even she had to wonder what kind of human could live in such dank seclusion.

The cabin was small and worn, certainly not suitable for healthy living. Nor were there any signs of transport in the desert sand. Whoever lived here had no use for such necessities. Which led her to conclude that whoever Sophie's "contact" was; it wasn't a human at all. This would also mean that they had arrived in a potentially dangerous environment. However, knowing that Jason was inside the cabin along with Sophie, Sarah, and Derek, Cameron had little concern for what may or may not be waiting for them.

_Perhaps this contact will terminate Sarah and Derek and solve 50% of my problems_, she mused with a small smile.

John stopped in his pacing, catching the smile on her face and frowned; "What?" he asked accusingly.

Cameron simply shook her head and widened her smile. "I find your need to move constantly to be amusing. It is so unnecessary. They'll be out soon", she told him. John sighed and joined her next to the truck, crossing his arms and leaning against the side.

"You know, sometimes I envy you", he said.

"You shouldn't", she replied.

John gave a soft snort and looked her up and down searchingly; "You're always so calm and peaceful. Why shouldn't I envy that?"

_Because you have no idea how much of a struggle it is to be human when you're not_, she wanted to say, but decided against it and settled for a non-committal shrug. John watched her for a moment, waiting for some elaboration, but she remained silent and turned her attention back to the mountain hills.

While she enhanced her vision by x2, a small message appeared in white letters in the left hand bottom corner of her HUD:

-ANOMALY STATUS UPDATE: OPTIMAL

Cameron barely had to register this information, for it was the same message she'd been receiving every hour since its conception. The nature of the anomaly continued to elude her understanding, however, for she couldn't fathom how it came to be in the first place. Her best speculation led to an anomaly in her model sheath's genetic structure that allowed for the development of a viable embryo in her uterus.

The organ itself was meant solely for infiltration purposes, but recent scans revealed it had somehow evolved to accommodate the foetus. Her body, while adaptable, was never supposed to be used for such a purpose; and the fact that it was now evolving from a killing tool to a life-giving vessel disturbed her more than a little. She would call it unnatural were she unaware of the concept of irony.

_I terminate humans. That is my purpose. I kill to protect John. I should never do the opposite._

_Does not compute_, her machine half told her. Cameron snuck a look at John, who was too busy picking at a splinter in his finger to notice, and consciously pulled up a new self made directive: _Target: John Connor. Mission: Rejuvenate_. Despite herself, Cameron let out a small giggle, eliciting his full and immediate attention. He cast an amused smile as her eyes twinkled with mirth.

"What's up with you?"

Cameron simply shrugged again, teasingly evading his question. John gave her a playful nudge with his elbow and she pretended to sway on the spot, nudging him back, only for her strength; he actually fell off balance and hit the dirt. John let out a small grunt and looked up at her with a false look of annoyance.

"What was that f-", he began, but the sudden and close impact of a bullet in the side of the car where his head had been seconds before silenced him. A second bullet struck Cameron's shoulder and John leapt up to grab her hand, pulling her down to join him on the ground. Before John could ask, Cameron let out a small whisper: "Kevin."

That was all he needed to hear to know they were in more-than-moderate trouble. A part of him had hoped that maybe Kevin would've learned better than to oppose them after their last confrontation, but then John remembered: he is only a machine. Several shots curled along the side of the truck and Cameron grabbed John by the scruff of the neck as she dragged him around the front of the vehicle and set him on the other side, safe from the sniper's barrage.

She poked the top half of her head over the hood and captured a still image of the desert horizon before ducking back down to avoid several shots. Examining the image, she located Kevin's position behind a solitary rock in the distance. John drew his Glock and checked the chamber, letting out a frustrated growl at the half-empty clip inside.

"I'm almost out…"

"…and he's too out of range to hit with that weapon anyway", Cameron finished for him.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" he asked as a single bullet passed through the truck doors, shattering the glass on both sides and showering him in tiny shards. Cameron assessed the situation carefully and came to one definite solution to their predicament:

"I want you to shoot the rock he's hiding behind. This will force him to take cover, allowing me to slip around to his position without him knowing. When he returns fire, take cover, and I'll take him", she explained over the sound of rapid-fire. John frowned at her while shuffling back a little away from the doors.

"Do you think you can take him in your condition?" he asked, concern etching his features.

_No_, she thought.

"Yes. He is damaged from our last meeting. I can disable him", she lied while keeping her face perfectly placid.

John opened his mouth to protest, but Cameron sprang forward and silenced him with a kiss, another bullet striking her right arm.

"Shoot now!" she commanded, and he obeyed, jumping up and firing several shots at the rock. As predicted, Kevin ducked to avoid the burning projectiles, and Cameron sped out from behind the truck. John fired a few more times, but enough to allow her to reach the side of the cabin before Kevin returned fire. She cautiously shuffled along the wall, and moments later, the distinctive sound of the 9mm echoed across the desert and Kevin ducked once more.

Now is the time.

She hurtled across the desert towards his position, and as he raised his head to investigate the source of her footfalls, she leapt at him with her leg outstretched. Her boot struck him hard in the face and he was thrown back by the impact, his rifle tumbling beyond his reach and hers. Knowing that speed was her only asset in this fight, Cameron allowed herself no relent and struck the machine repeatedly in the head. Kevin took her blows, unable to stop them, but then he knew she was beginning to tire… her power cell was waning.

And he was right.

The alert flashed in her HUD like a siren:

-WARNING: POWER LEVELS LOW

She didn't care. She had to protect John. And even if she failed, the others would finish where she left off. Either way, he was safe. And that was all that mattered. Even the small unborn miracle in her belly offered no motivation to her survival so long as John lived. He was all that mattered. Everything else was secondary. And when Kevin drove his foot into her chest, knocking her back, she knew everything was going to be okay. Everything was perfect.

Kevin delivered a palm strike that sent her flying across the sands and she landed in a heap, unable to stand. He grabbed her by the throat and dragged the immobile Cameron to the world's edge; a small precipice overlooking a deep cavern below. Holding her aloft, Kevin looked into his sister-model's eyes for the last time before relinquishing his grip.

Her hair slid through his fingers as she gracefully fell free, John's distant cry calling her name across the desert. But she did not fall into the abyss as expected, for a silver rope curled around her waist and delivered her to the safety of a nearby overhang. Once deposited, Cameron stared in wonder as the rope uncurled and slivered up the rock face. Kevin followed its movement and turned around to find the source: a smart-looking man with a patronising smirk.

The rope morphed back into a hand and Seraph wagged his newly-formed finger at the machine. Kevin tipped his head to one side as the change in circumstance shuffled his priorities, but before any decision could be made, he found himself falling backwards into the very pit he tried to drop Cameron into. His eyes burned red as he descended into the bottomless darkness, fading into the nothingness below.

Seraph looked down at Cameron as she lay on the rock, staring up at him with a politely bemused expression.

"You're welcome."

_To be continued…_


	8. Day Of

**Chapter 08: Day Of…**

_Fire, debris, and bone-crushing rubble consumed John's unit in the blink of an eye. _

_Men and women he'd known through thick and thin; Timms, Sumner, Apale, Reynolds, Wisher, Alleyne, all were obliterated before his eyes as the south-by-southeast wall imploded. Pale yellow light poured through the cavernous hole made by the explosion as two figures emerged, their shiny endoskeletons caked with dust. With all the haste his muscles could manage, John crawled behind an empty waste bin further down the corridor, his ears ringing from the concussion. _

_The sentinels stepped into the narrow confines, their crimson eyes scanning for any threats, finding only the recently deceased team littering the floor. They took position with both plasma rifles trained on either direction as a third crossed the threshold. Though his instincts screamed at him to remain hidden, John poked his head around the bin and felt his blood freeze._

_Two T-950s stood shoulder to shoulder with a machine he'd never seen before. It resembled the one T-X model he'd destroyed several weeks ago, only three times as deadly. Its eyes emitted an emerald gleam, unlike the standard red or blue of the other models he'd encountered. And both arms were configured into what John knew all too well to be plasma cannons._

I am so screwed_, he thought as the heavy _clunk clunk clunk_ of their metallic feet approached._

--

Even in the dark velvet cover of the night's sky John could see the pale steam rising from the nuclear tower.

It had been seven hours since leaving the desert behind and tensions were running high within the group. The T-1000, Seraph, had agreed to travel in the trunk while the others enjoyed the comfort of the seats, though this did little to ease their minds. Sarah's knuckles were a definite shade of grey as she gripped the wheel tightly, determined to reach safety before Skynet could catch them. Derek had protested to her being behind the wheel, but not even a list of the number of times she'd crashed would convince her to take shotgun.

So Derek sat with his chin on his hand, cupping his mouth as he stared at the nuclear power plant passing them on the right side.

"It looks different to how I remember", he observed, much to everyone's surprise.

"You know this plant?" Sarah asked distractedly. Derek nodded and sat up in his seat while John scrutinized the plant.

"We control it in the future, it was one of our most strategic holds and largest source of power", he explained. "Lot o' men died taking this plant. Good men. But it's pivotal to the war effort. Tipped the scales in our favour all the time I was there. Dunno if that lasted…" he finished, glancing back at a bleary-eyed Cameron. She hadn't said much since the desert, and John decided it better to leave her be.

"Seranno Point remained in the Resistance's possession following your departure", she informed him.

"And was the staging ground of the final battle of the war", Jason added. John turned to him, as did a curious Cameron and Derek. Sophie stirred in her sleep, her head resting on his shoulder as he continued. "I wasn't there, but this CPU possesses information regarding the war. According to my files, Skynet launched an assault on Seranno Point to gain access to the last surviving TDE platform there."

"Why not use one of its own?" John asked.

"All of Skynet's platforms were destroyed shortly after its core processor and defence grid were smashed in 2029. It had no other choice", Jason explained. John contemplated the wisdom behind keeping such a potentially dangerous device active, but decided his future self must've had his reasons. Looking at Cameron, John suspected she may have been a deciding factor.

"Well… I guess that's something we can remedy in the future", John suggested hopefully. Cameron simply smiled at him, and he knew she was telling him it might not be so. Jason shrugged and looked down at Sophie, gently brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face with his gloved right hand.

Sarah turned right, taking them off the main highway. Her thoughts drifted to the safe house on the coast she'd set up a while ago, wondering if it would suffice for the time being, but before a decision could be made; Sarah's consciousness was stolen from her as the entire truck shook violently and her head struck the window. The others were shaken to varying degrees as the vehicle spun off the road and into the streets below. With an almighty crunch, the truck hit the asphalt and bounced across the street like a tennis ball.

After what seemed like an eternity, it came to a stop and settled on its side; a twisted shell of what used to be a reliable old vehicle.

--

_It couldn't be stopped._

_Bolts of green plasma struck every position in intervals of three seconds as the Vessel's cannons recharged from each shot. Its T-950 guards lay defeated at its feet, their bodies little more than scrap metal from the coordinated volley unleashed by the Tech-Com vanguards. But not even their tweaked weaponry could pierce the impossibly tough armour of the Vessel. _

_Finding another target, the machine let loose a single blast, and a cry of agony carried across the chamber as three soldiers were reduced to a molten mass. Two others fled their position, hoping to God they could reach the chokepoint in time, but neither could escape the malefic intent of the machine. Their chests exploded as both cannons tore through them._

Threats neutralised - TDE Location Confirmed - Proceeding…

_The Vessel stalked through the melting bodies of Connor's finest, caring not for their loss or the loss of its guards as it casually strode into the chokepoint unscathed. Its movements remained unhindered as it walked down the long narrow corridor, but for two soldiers who leapt out of side passages ahead, both wielding stun bolts._

_The projectiles struck the Vessel's armour, but without any flesh to latch onto, they simply bounced off the surface and hung limply from the weapons. The soldiers only had time to drop their jaws in disbelief before both their heads exploded in green plasma. The Vessel continued its course, fearing no adversary it might encounter._

_It couldn't be stopped._

--

A thin bead of blood dripped down her nose and Cameron knew without analysis to whom it belonged.

Rolling onto her side, she found John hanging upside down in his seat, held aloft by the seat belt. He wasn't moving, but a quick scan of his vitals revealed he wasn't badly injured, besides the cuts and bruises suffered in the crash. The others were no better off as Derek gave a groan of agony and unclipped his belt, allowing himself to fall to the roof with a grunt. Gingerly, he crawled over to Sarah, who'd made no movements since hitting her head.

In the back, Jason righted himself, apathetic to the others' plight as he tended to Sophie, who was fully conscious and had suffered little injury in the crash. Cameron regarded them all closely as the engine gave a sharp hiss and steam started pouring out of the vents. "We have to move. Now", she told them, unclipping John's belt and carefully lowering him to the floor. He stirred and opened his eyes a little, but was too out of it to recognise his surroundings.

Ever so carefully she dragged him out of the side window, attentive enough to keep his head from dragging against the broken glass on the tarmac outside. Once clear, Jason kicked the door off its hinges, allowing Sophie to stagger out with him following. He promptly removed Derek's door and, with his help, pulled an unconscious Sarah out of the vehicle.

Between the two of them they placed her carefully on the ground and Derek checked her pulse, finding it strong. John's vision started to clear at the sight of his mother and he crawled over to her side as quickly as his joints would allow. "Mom! Mom! C'mon, wake up. Wake up!" he cried, shaking her shoulders with both hands. She gave a small moan and her eyes flickered, bringing relief to John's face.

"We need to move out. We can't stay here", Jason declared.

"Just wait a second, we gotta make sure-", John tried to say, but Cameron suddenly gripped his jacket and threw him to the side of the road where he was met a mere second later by Sarah's limp form, landing in a heap beside him as Derek, Jason, and Sophie joined them. Before he could make sense of what was happening, a green light flashed across his vision and as soon as it appeared, it was gone and was replaced by a raging ball of flame as the truck exploded.

Cameron wrapped her arms around him, pressing his face into her chest as fire and shrapnel ricochet left right and centre. The heat from the explosion was intense, and if he didn't know better, John thought Cameron was on fire inside too as her entire body stifled. She stared down at him and he could see the sheen of sweat covering her skin, far more than was expected. Her eyes were wide and she was trembling against him, a small gasp escaping her as her lips paled noticeably.

"Cameron, what-", he tried to ask, but Derek grabbed him by the arm and wrenched him from Cameron's grip.

"Move, damn it!" he yelled above the roaring flames, practically dragging the boy along the curb until he could find his feet. Cameron struggled to her feet and stumbled after them while Jason carried Sarah on his shoulder. No thought was given to Seraph, and none saw the silver worm sliver out of the trunk and into the nearby drain.

Another green blast struck the road, barely missing the group as they bolted for safety. For all their haste, Derek barely realised where they were. Looking up, he saw the towering shape of Seranno Point; they were in the employee parking lounge. "Get inside. The plant, c'mon! Get inside!" he commanded the others. They raced for the entrance just as security came running with machine-guns ready, the night guard ordering them to keep their distance and warning them of the plant's unstable condition.

They were not willing to agree, however, and Jason drew his Glock mid-stride, putting a bullet in each of their legs. The guards dropped in agony, screaming and cursing their assailant as he gathered their weapons and threw a rifle to Derek and Sophie. John glanced behind him to see Cameron struggling to keep up, and his heart skipped a beat as he spotted a chrome figure tearing down the chain-link fence at the end of car park; a figure with burning green eyes.

"Cameron!" he cried, running forward and grabbing her by the hand. He pulled her inside and held her close as a blast of plasma struck the place they'd been standing seconds before, crushing the injured guards with chunks of molten asphalt. Cameron swayed on the spot, holding onto him for support as her legs buckled. The others, believing them to be on their heels, had already gone ahead, leaving John and Cameron alone.

"John", she gasped, her entire body shaking and twitching in his arms. "John… you have to go."

John shook his head and tried to hoist her back up, but she'd become a total deadweight and refused to cooperate.

"No, no! C'mon! C'mon! Cameron! Don't do this! Don't you dare do this!" he screamed at her, trying desperately to keep her up.

Cameron slumped to the floor and stared up at him with bleary eyes, gently pushing him away with what little energy she had left. "John, you can't save me. You… have to go John. You… have… to… go…" she panted as a warning flashed in her HUD, alerting her to the near depletion of her energy cell.

_Never_, John swore as he scooped her up in his arms and growled with the strain of lifting her up off the cold floor.

"I… won't… leave… you… here!" he snarled through gritted teeth as he brought her back up. Cameron could hardly believe his strength of will, and suddenly the warning flash in her vision lessened to a moderate alert as a little backup power kicked in. "C'mon, on your feet soldier!" John yelled, placing her arm around his shoulder. "On… your… FEET!"

They staggered deeper into the facility, Cameron watching John with wide-eyed wonder as he soldiered on, supporting her weight almost completely as her legs began to fail her again. Passing a corner, they came upon the others as they were doubling back to find them. Derek let out a sigh of relief at the sight of them and a now conscious Sarah rushed to John's side. Jason took Cameron from him, holding her easily in his arms as John slumped against the wall, panting with fatigue.

"It's right behind us", he told them between breaths.

"I'll hold it off as long as I can. Get the hell out of here", Jason said, carefully sitting Cameron on the floor. Sophie opened her mouth to protest, but Jason silenced her with a kiss, surprising her with his sudden affection. "I remember", he whispered in her ear before pulling away and running around the corner.

"JASON!" Sophie cried, rushing after him. Derek caught her around the waist, keeping her from following him as she sobbed with her hand outstretched. He pushed her away and picked up a rifle, handing the other to Sarah. John kneeled beside Cameron and brushed the hair out of her face, seeing the vacant expression she wore and keened.

"Mom, she's dying!" he wailed, his eyes moistening as he stared up at Sarah expectantly, as if hoping she might have some miracle solution to the dilemma. Before Sarah could think of any way to remedy the situation, a metallic crash carried across the facility, and a large shadow passed overhead. Sarah looked up in time to see Jason flying out of sight, followed by the sound of metal crunching against metal. Sophie let out a gasp and a small "no", but made no attempt to find him.

There was little time left, little opportunity for escape the longer they waited, so taking a deep breath Sarah turned to Derek. "You know this plant. You know its layout?" she asked him. Derek nodded, his mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish as fear took him. "Then you must know a way out. Take John and do as Jason said; get the hell out. Don't wait for me, just go", she instructed. Derek continued to stare at her blankly for a moment. "I said go, Reese!" she barked.

Derek snapped out of his stupor and slung the rifle onto his shoulder before grabbing John's arm and pulling him from Cameron, but he fought back and wrenched his arm free. Sophie grabbed his other and pulled, using her extra strength to force him away from the dazed cyborg. Together, she and Derek dragged him away, despite his protests, leaving Sarah alone with Cameron.

"Let me go! Let me go! Mom! Cameron! No! Let me go!" John screamed as he fought in vain against the combined efforts of Derek and Sophie. They dragged him around the other corner, and it wasn't long before his cries were lost beneath the sound of heavy machinery all around them. Sarah cocked her rifle and gave Cameron a small kick to wake her up.

"Now would be a great time to show your machine side, Tin-Miss", she said, her voice quivering slightly.

Cameron held up her hand feebly, and for a moment Sarah believed she was asking for help to stand up, but her gesture suggested a need for her to come close. Sarah struggled with her decision for several seconds before crouching down beside her. Cameron grasped her wrist and pulled her closer, a desperate glimmer in her eyes.

"I… can't…protect him… anymore… I… He's crippled me… He…" she whispered, her entire body twitching.

Sarah bit her tongue against the pressure Cameron's steely fingers were applying to her wrist, but this did nothing to change her focus. "What do you mean? What has John done to you?" she asked through gritted teeth. Cameron's eyes locked with Sarah's as she roughly placed her hand over her stomach and let out what sounded very much like a pained gasp to Sarah's ears.

"I can't… protect him… It… won't… let me… It… Needs me… more… And I… can't… protect… both…" she stammered, her voice becoming increasingly robotic with every word, the soft whispery tone she'd projected in all the time she'd been there slowly fading away. Sarah couldn't understand what she was talking about_. It? What it_, she wondered. But as Cameron pressed her fingers against the flesh of her stomach pointedly, something clicked in Sarah's mind and everything suddenly fell into place.

Disbelief, followed by disgust, filled every atom of her being, but curiously a small glimmer of wonder flickered inside her heart.

She couldn't understand how or why. But her instincts told her it was no lie. That Cameron was… carrying her son's child.

A metallic clunk roused Sarah out of her reverie and she looked up, her face already set with horror, now paled to death white at the sight of the machine before her. In a heartbeat, she tucked her hands under Cameron and let out a grunt of strain as she rolled the cyborg off the catwalk, letting her drop onto the lower level with a heavy thud. She then grabbed the rifle, but Skynet was on her in a second and snapped the barrel in half like a toothpick.

It then swiped her across the face and Sarah felt some of her teeth loosen as she struck the floor hard. The Vessel watched as she tried to crawl away, and then placed its foot on her back, pinning her in place. Sarah expected her spine to snap from the pressure, but before this could become a reality, two purple-shirted guards rounded the corner and opened fire on the machine.

Skynet removed its foot from Sarah's back and charged the men. Sarah deigned not to look at them as their cries pierced her ears. Using what little time she had, Sarah hooked her leg over the railing and dropped to the second level. Upon landing, however, she fell forward and struck her head hard. And for the second time that evening, she slipped out of consciousness.

The Vessel regarded her inert form closely for a second before drawing its poly-mimetic sheath around itself and taking her form.

--

"John? John? Help?"

He could hear her calling for him, her voice distorted by pain and suffering. But as much as it hurt his heart to hear it, his gut told him it was not so. That was not his mother. She would never call for him. He'd almost fallen for it once before and look where that got him. So despite the agony of listening to her call his name, John forced himself to keep moving and follow Derek to safety.

_Typically, the subject being copied is terminated._

The T-101 had told him this, but right now he prayed it wasn't true. Typically, this wasn't a typical circumstance. His mother might still be alive, and its mimicry of her voice would not necessitate the need to touch her. There was a chance, he hoped. There was a chance she might be safe. That Cameron might be safe. He hoped, he prayed.

Sophie came to an abrupt halt, her eyes locked on something the others couldn't see. Derek opened his mouth to ask what she'd seen, but she suddenly bolted down the passage and disappeared within a cloud of smoke. "Hey!" Derek called, but received no response. With a sigh, he pushed John onwards and directed him to a ladder.

Without a word, Derek signalled for him to climb the ladder up to the next level, and he obeyed. Upon reaching the top, John looked down in time to see a metal spear pass through his uncle's left shoulder. Derek let out a cry of surprise as blood splattered and spurted from the wound. John had no time to react as Derek was tossed aside, injured but still alive. John's eyes widened in horror as he stared at his own mother, but not his mother, as she coldly raised her arm and pointed the spear at John like a finger.

He ducked in time to avoid being impaled as the spear elongated, embedding itself into piping above him. John scrabbled away from the metal and hurtled along the catwalk while the Vessel followed below at a steady pace, jabbing its blades up through the grill in an attempt to catch John from beneath. Turning a corner, John jumped onto another ladder and climbed up as fast as he could, narrowly avoiding another blade as it sliced the bottom of his shoe.

John ran as fast as he could along the catwalk, trying to put as much distance between himself and it as possible. More than ever he wanted to call out to his mother, just to know that she was still out there somewhere. To know that she at least was safe. Cameron's frail form flashed in his mind relentlessly, and his heart panged at the thought of finding her smashed and broken. He needed to know for sure.

--

"Mom! Mom! Where are you? Answer me!"

Skynet froze, adjusting its receptors to locate the source of the voice. It would not have expected John to make such a foolish error, but then he was still a child. He was not yet the soldier who defeated it in the future. _And he never will be_, Skynet thought with a small smile of satisfaction as it stalked towards the source of the commotion.

An alarm sounded throughout the facility as a voice came over the intercom, ordering all personnel to flee the plant immediately. _Typical humans_, Skynet mused as it made its way through several racks of machinery. In little time at all, it followed the voice to its source and found John running around in circles, desperately looking for a way out. He stopped at the sight of Skynet and backed against the wall, his jaw quivering in terror as the Vessel approached.

Its time had finally come. John Connor was no more.

Skynet reached out and grabbed the boy by the throat and squeezed.

_Crack…_ and the end had come.

_To be continued…_


	9. Judgment

**Chapter 09: Judgment**

John Connor fell limp in Skynet's grip, his body broken and defeated at last.

Triumph unlike any other welled up inside the A.I.'s cortex as it let the boy slump to the floor, forever ending the mightiest threat to its existence. It allowed itself a short moment to rejoice, filled with its own equivalent of joy. Of all its schemes and measures, none had proved so satisfyingly successful than this. It wondered why it hadn't just come back and killed him itself.

_Never send a minion to do a master's job_, it mused.

Victory, however, was not a thing that was known for lasting.

The boy's body became a sheet of silver metal in the flash of an eye and slivered up the Vessel's legs, coiling itself around the machine like a snake and smothering it with its mass. _Typical_, thought Skynet as the T-1000 hardened itself, trapping the Vessel like a statue. It couldn't move, for all its efforts. Seraph was constricting its motor joints and pistons, even seeping through the ventilation holes in its armour.

Seeing no alternative means of escape, Skynet grudgingly released containment on its plasma core, and unprocessed heat leaked out of every orifice. With every passing second the small reactor became increasingly unstable, and within a minute it would explode, destroying both the Vessel and the T-1000. However, as predicted, the extreme rise in temperature started to irk the liquid metal construct, and 20 seconds before total meltdown, it relinquished its hold on the Vessel and withdrew.

Skynet felt a small sliver of relief as it reinstalled containment and reversed the leakage, placing its cell back within optimal parameters. Seraph meld itself into the form of a chrome man and lunged at the Vessel, its arms stabbing left and right in an attempt to breach the Vessel's armour plating. The blades drew little more than sparks, however, and Skynet responded with a crushing blow to the T-1000's chest, sending it crashing into a mess of monitors and observation desks.

Seraph jumped up from the desk mere seconds before a blast of plasma struck it, destroying the stack of computer screens in a blaze of fire and sparks. It then dodged two more attacks, contorting its form to that of a stick figure. It knew that a single blast from those weapons would obliterate it completely, altering the bonding process and destroying it at a molecular level. _Of course_, Seraph realised. _The Vessel was designed to terminate any and all previous models_.

The T-1000 had little time to ponder its chances as a fourth blast narrowly missed its head. Seraph threw itself forward, becoming a ball as it rolled into the Vessel's legs, taking them out from under it. Skynet fell onto its front and immediately rolled onto its back, but not fast enough to stop the poly-mimetic from tying its arms to the catwalk beneath. Seraph set itself, pinning Skynet to the floor while its head slivered around the machine's chest, trying to find some way inside.

_Effective_, Skynet thought as it realised the machine's goal. It couldn't hope to defeat the Vessel from the outside, but if it could gain access to the inside, it could potentially damage vulnerable components. The Vessel struggled against Seraph's hold as it poured into the chest region, cutting and slicing at every wire it could find. Warnings flashed in its HUD as several axial wires were severed. Enough had to be enough.

After a brief moment of reconfiguring, Skynet redirected its energy flow from its arms to its mouth and unleashed a beam of emerald energy into Seraph's form. The T-1000 writhed and let out an unearthly cry as it was thrown off the Vessel's body and landed in a semi-solid puddle next to the observation deck. Skynet set itself right and stalked towards the suffering mass, a face still visible within the silver mess. With a small glimmer of pride for its creation, the Vessel released one last energy attack on the T-1000, ending it forever.

--

Like a banshee she heard the scream. It was both terrible and beautiful at the same time, for she knew that sound. It was the sound of an enemy dying. But as her mind started to awaken from her second dose of unconsciousness, Sarah realised that that sound was far from beguiling. It was the sound of another ally defeated, and the reduction of their chances far depleted.

Though her head hurt like hell and she was sure one of her arms was broken, she reached out and gripped the grid floor, dragging herself closer and closer to her son. He needed her now more than ever, and she was not going to fail him again.

--

John stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of Seraph's last cry. The image of a metal man thrashing about in molten steel flashed before his eyes, and John knew the odds had turned against him. _Not that I ever had the advantage_, he reminded himself. Wasting no more time, he continued down the corridor as the lights flickered on and off, the primaries being replaced by the ominous red glow of emergency back-ups. _Skynet must've hit something sensitive_, he wondered as the alarms intensified.

He wasn't going to wait around to find out what, however, and hurtled down the corridor without further ado.

As he opened the door on the other end, a heavy _clunk clunk clunk_ pricked his ears from around the corner. John froze as the sound of pistons hissing and whirring approached, and his blood ran cold as he knew what it inferred. He wrenched the door open and the footsteps hastened. Throwing himself into the room, John found himself surrounded by loud machinery and several transformers linked together in a row. To his far right was a set of stairs leading to the control room, so he decided that would be his port of call.

John bolted for the stairs, but before he could set a single foot upon the first step, the Vessel emerged from a cloud of heated smoke behind him; its plasma cannons armed and ready. It took aim, but before it could fire, a blurred figure dropped down from a catwalk above and swiped the Vessel with a thick steel pole. The machine hit the ground and slid back into the steam, its plasma projectiles obliterating a transformer instead of John.

Jason turned to John, who cringed slightly at the sight of him. His flesh was torn all over his body and his right arm was totally exposed, revealing the glimmering metal beneath. The left side of his face was no better off, as a single red eye flashed at John through the gathering smoke, surrounded by the metal of his endo-skull.

"Are you gonna help me destroy this machine, or are you gonna run? Either way, make a choice now", he commanded.

John didn't need to be told twice, and bolted up the stairs without hesitation, a part of him hoping that Jason and Skynet would destroy each other in the struggle. Jason gripped the pole and spun it in his hands as he turned expectantly towards the source of the smoke; an exposed pressure valve. He waited patiently, the weapon held at his side.

Suddenly, two emerald lights flashed from within the cloud, and Jason pounced on them. It was almost impossible to track movement in these conditions, even with all the advanced vision modes the T-999 chassis possessed. But Jason calculated the Vessel's likely location and struck with the pole, hitting his target and eliciting sparks as the jagged metal scraped against it. The Vessel responded by smashing its palms into his chest, sending Jason flying out of the smog and back into clean air.

The Vessel followed, once again charging its weapons to strike, but Jason reacted in a microsecond, launching himself back to his feet and swiping the machine's arms with the pole. Skynet could not have anticipated the speed and ferocity of Jason's attacks, for it viewed him as an inferior design and neglected to consider the training and reflexes he'd retained from his life as an I-950. Jason struck, spun around, struck again, circled it, and took out its legs with a precise sweep.

Skynet fell onto its back, catching the pole in time to stop it from penetrating its eyes as Jason drove the steel shaft downwards. He applied all the pressure he could muster, but the Vessel was stronger… too strong, and snapped the pole in half with the strain, followed by a kick that sent Jason for a spin.

It rose to its feet and charged the T-999, once again smashing its palms into his chest. Jason flew back against the wall, cracking it to the point of collapse. Skynet drew its arm back to drive its fist into his face, but Jason ducked and its arm disappeared into the wall instead. He then retaliated with a punch of his own, catching the machine under the chin and forcing it back a little. Before it could react, Jason moved his hand to its throat and hurled the Vessel across the room.

For a brief moment as he marched over to the machine, Jason believed he might win this fight, but his beliefs were immediately dispelled as the Vessel kicked up at him and he crashed into a mess of wires and cables. A live wire struck him and suddenly his systems started screaming as the voltage scrambled his functions.

_Primary Systems Critical – Initiating Countermeasures – SHNT ALL_

After a few seconds the effects of the electricity faded, but Jason was still tangled within the wires and the Vessel was already charging its plasma cannons again. He tugged against the coiling mess, but it held him fast and his efforts were met with failure. Jason clenched his right fist, and then splayed his fingers, a small command travelling from his CPU to the appendage. His fingers folded together and drew inwards as the lower arm opened around the wrist, revealing a small semi-circular blade that curled into a whole as it fixed into place.

The blade turned upside down and started spinning, cutting through the wires with ease, freeing his right side. Jason quickly did the same to his other side and leapt to his feet in time to dodge the Vessel's blasts. Jason jumped towards the machine, the circular saw fixing itself into a single position as he drew it across the Vessel's neck. The blade did not bite deep, however, leaving only a thin scratch in its wake. Skynet was not impressed, and caught his arm, its other gripping his neck.

"Your efforts are futile. You cannot destroy me", it declared.

Jason's exposed eye flashed brighter at the machine as he struggled against its hold. "I guess that means we're in a disagreement", he quipped. Skynet let out a static chuckle and then hurled the T-999 across the facility. As he flew from Skynet's grip, however, Jason grabbed the nearby stair leg and swung back around in a perfect 180, kicking the Vessel squarely in the chest. An earth-shaking explosion rocked the facility as Skynet slammed into two transformers, fire and electricity consuming the machine.

Skynet let out a piercing scream as a thousand sparks burst forth. Gingerly, it peeled itself free from the melted metal and staggered away from the fire, its entire body twitching. It raised its cannons to blast Jason, but nothing happened, and upon closer inspection, it realised they were both melted beyond repair. The Vessel screamed once again and drove its foot into the supports above Jason, causing the entire staircase to collapse atop of him, burying him beneath the twisted metal.

Skynet examined its damage carefully, and a check of its power core revealed a containment failure. It had little time left to terminate Connor before it would self-destruct. Skynet knew that killing John would ensure its survival in this timeline, but that did nothing to improve the prospect of dying in this form. Still, it was determined to eliminate its enemy once and for all, and so it limped towards the other set of steps, a timer in its HUD slowly counting down towards its own judgment.

--

Endless pool of black was not endless. For beneath the cloned gelatine lay a glimmer of blue light. It was dim at first, flickering in and out of existence. But slowly it anchored itself into a solid form, and as life returned to the machine, the small blue dots brightened into radiant stars; shining from deep within the dark pools surrounded by a rim of chocolate brown.

_Re-routing To Alternate Power – Heat Sinks Engaged – Restart_

Cameron always enjoyed the warm caress of the California sun on her skin. Though she didn't much care for temperatures, she knew heat to be preferable to cold. Luckily for her, heat was in abundance within Serrano Point, for the dispersal of steam throughout the facility had raised temperatures to just below human tolerance.

Her fingers twitched as power was restored to her primary systems and conscious thought awakened within her digital mind. Cameron's eyes snapped open and after a brief diagnosis, a single thought entered her mind: John.

_Current Efficiency: 24%_

_Adequate_, she decided. Sitting up, Cameron reached for the railing and pulled herself to her feet, swaying slightly as the power to her motor functions fluctuated. Gripping the railing as a support, she plodded towards her goal, no longer giving any thought to the anomaly in her belly. It was irrelevant now. Only he mattered. And if she knew for sure that terminating it wouldn't cripple her further, she would plunge her finger into her stomach right then and there. But she couldn't risk any side-effects.

She had to make do with what she had now. And what she had was determination, love, and unwavering devotion.

--

"John! John? John, it's alright. Skynet's disabled, you can come out now."

_Like I'm gonna believe that_, John thought as Jason's voice echoed through the facility. From the solitude of the abandoned control room, John watched the Vessel ascend the stairs and knew he had to get out of dodge immediately. Snatching up his Glock, John belted for the staircase, jumping four at a time as he hurtled down to the lower level.

He burst through the door and back into the ruckus of the plant, two paths open to him on either side. Choosing his right, John ran along the catwalk, seeing another door at the far end. As he bolted for the exit, John glanced down at the mess of electrically charged wires suspended from the ceiling above a large transformer unlike any he had seen before. A vague part of him wondered whether this was the new core they were installing in power plants these days, but he had little time to ponder this as he reached the door.

A quick tug on the unmovable handle was all he needed to tell him he was royally screwed, and the sharp _clink_ of metal on metal confirmed his fears. In what he knew to be his last vain effort, John spun around and fired his 9mm into the machine's chest, but it simply took all seventeen rounds without so much as twitch. He then threw the empty gun at Skynet and held his arms open, not as a plea of parley, but an invitation.

"COME ON! IT'S ME! JOHN CONNOR! DO IT! JUST DO IT! C'MON!"

Skynet observed the boy with mild amusement, partly impressed by his resolve in the face of impending doom. It took a step forward, raised its twisted arm to plunge it into his chest, and recorded the moment for the replay value. John made no attempt to resist. He knew it was useless, that his life was now forfeit to fate. Skynet had killed him; all he needed to do was accept it. Embrace it.

"JOHHHHNNNN!

She moved as a total blur, faster and more desperate than he'd ever seen before. Wrapping her arms around the Vessel's waist, Cameron slammed the machine into the metal railing, tearing through it like it was made of wood. The world seemed to slow to a crawl for John as both Skynet and Cameron toppled over the edge, the Vessel letting out a strangled cry his ears refused to hear. They both disappeared from his view, and for the longest moment, John couldn't feel his own heart beating wildly in his chest.

_Failure_

The Vessel fell gracefully from the platform with an unearthly cry of pure rage and horror. The first of the live wires lashed out at the machine like an Adder dangling in wait from a tree branch. _Zap!_ The voltage sent waves of agony into the machine, setting its sensor board alight with overriding damage reports. _Zap!_ The second was no less forgiving. _Zap! Zap! Zap!_ One after the other, each strike delivering enough energy to obliterate any of Skynet's lesser creations.

Some had crossed together to form a net, one which the Vessel fell into quite neatly. The A.I. had never experienced trauma like this in all its years of existing. As the overwhelming currents terrorised its motor controls, paralyzing it completely, what little part of Skynet's mind that wasn't occupied with its own destruction mused whether this was how humanity felt on Judgment Day.

The now limp endoskeleton fell forward and folded through the air like a ragdoll, coming to a perfect crucified landing atop the transformer, which exploded around it with enough force to deafen John overhead. Immeasurable energy consumed the Vessel, melting Skynet's metal shell into a pool of silver while the top of its skull popped open and jettisoned the CPU to safety. The chip, encased within an egg-like sheath, clattered across the floor and out of sight.

The Vessel was no more, forever reduced to a powerless vapour.

--

John clutched his ears and winced against the pain as a harsh ringing reverberated through his ear drums. After a moment, he forced his eyes open and squinted at the white light flooding his vision from the transformer below. Slowly and painfully, he crawled to the edge and dared to look down. Skynet was writhing atop the transformer, its body melting while its emerald eyes shone wide with utter terror.

But this was not the focus of his attention, for the small hand gripping the catwalk for dear life blew all other concerns from his mind.

She hung one-handed to the metal, her other arm hanging limply at her side as she swayed in her suspension above the transformer below. Cameron stared down at the dying machine below, apparently unperturbed by her current predicament as John lay flat upon the catwalk and reached down to take her hand.

"Cameron, take it. Come on!" he called over the ruckus below.

Cameron tore her gaze from the spectacle and locked on his face instead, her eyes softening at the sight of him safe and otherwise unharmed. She regarded his outstretched hand for a moment before commanding her left hand to reach up and take it, but nothing happened. She had no energy left to move any part of her anatomy in such strenuous conditions, and she could feel her fingers slowly uncurling, loosening her grip on the catwalk.

"Take my hand, come on! Cameron!" John persisted, stretching his hand further as he shuffled his body closer to the edge.

Cameron knew if he moved any closer he might fall and die. She couldn't let that happen, so she shook her head with what little energy she had left. John frowned and hooked his feet around an opposite pole as he allowed himself to slip over the edge a little more. He wasn't going to let her fall and suffer the same fate as Skynet. He couldn't lose her. But she couldn't let him fall either.

"You can't save me, John", she told him, her voice barely more than a whisper above the racket around them.

"What are you talking about? Of course I can. Just grab my hand, c'mon!" he shouted back, unable to understand her hesitance to save her own life. She shook her head again and slipped a little as her little finger released its hold on the catwalk. John's heart almost stopped at this, feeding his desperation to reach her. "Cameron! Cameron, please! Reach for me! Reach!" he cried.

Her brown eyes glistened as she looked deep into his, her grip almost completely failing as another finger uncurled and her whole body shuddered. She had little fear of dying now, for she knew he was safe, and that was all that mattered to her. The sack of cells and membranes in her belly were nothing; just an anomaly of little significance or worth. He was all that occupied her thoughts as her hold slackened more so.

"You have to let me go", she whispered. John's expression fell into disbelief at her words and he shook his head in nonplussed defiance. "It's okay, John. Everything's going to be okay", she assured him with a warm smile as she swayed dangerously. A single tear trickled down her cheek as her last digits failed her and she felt herself fall from the platform. John let out a strangled cry as he threw himself forward, almost toppling after her as he grabbed her wrist.

She was heavy, too heavy for him to hold for any measurable amount of time, but he couldn't let go. The muscles in his arms screamed a dozen agonies as his shoulder dislocated and her weight slowly dragged him along with her. John gritted his teeth against the pain, but he couldn't stop the tears spilling forth.

"Cam… please! I c-… I can't hold you… forever", he gasped.

"John, let go of me! You have to let go or you'll die! Please!" she pleaded in return, terrified by his reckless devotion.

"If you go, I go!" he declared with total sincerity.

Cameron stared up at him with childlike wonder as she finally understood the meaning behind those three little words he so often gave to her. Through it all, she'd never truly known how it worked or why it was so essential to his being. Affection was understandable, as was attachment, but love was something beyond her comprehension… until now.

This didn't have to be the end.

Cameron engaged her heat sinks for one last time, drawing from the surrounding heat to give her power cell a boost and returning control over her motor functions for a few sparse seconds. She reached up and grasped the catwalk with her free hand and, with John's aid, hauled herself back up to the platform. Cameron fell atop of John as he collapsed, completely exhausted, upon the grid floor. If she had any power left to move, she would've rolled to her side and allow him to breathe easier, but as it were…

She placed a small kiss to his lips before burying her head in the crook of his neck as her body shutdown to recuperate. John closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip out of consciousness also, satisfied and consumed by the warm relief of her body atop of his. He was safe, just as she wanted. She was safe, just as he wanted. Right now, neither cared for anything around them.

--

On the lower floor, Derek stumbled towards the crackling transformer, clutching the deep puncture in his shoulder as he stopped a few paces short of Sarah, who stood perfectly still with a piece of iron in her hand. She glared down at the small chrome capsule at her feet and her eye twitched, filled with a predatory rage. Derek needn't question the situation, he knew what this moment held, and his gut told him as much. His eyes flicked up from the capsule to see a ravaged Jason and Sophie emerge from the smoky veil.

They followed Sarah's gaze to the shiny object on the floor and both found the same understanding as Derek. So they waited in silence as Sarah's grip on the iron pipe tightened and her knuckles turned deathly pale from the strain. In one swift movement and with a cry like an Amazonian huntress, she raised the pipe over her head and brought it down like a hammer upon the capsule.

It cracked open with a single blow, revealing the golden CPU within; the soul of Skynet.

With another scream, she struck again, and again, and again, until all that remained of the AI was a few broken pieces of plastic.

Sarah dropped the pipe and dropped to her knees, crying and wailing with mixed despair and joy.

It was finally over.

--

_2032_

_General Connor and his men burst into the charred TDE chamber, idly skipping over the immolated remains of General Mazaki as they rushed into the main room in time to see the last spark of energy that signalled Skynet's departure. While his men let out a collective cry of distress and frustration, John simply closed his eyes and let out a long sigh._

"_It's over", he said to the others, a small chuckle escaping him as relief took hold. "It's over. Skynet's finished."_

_The men exchanged confused glances as they digested John's words, but as one opened his mouth to ask how he knew, the wall of the chamber suddenly exploded, showering them with debris. None of them had time to raise their weapons as a squad of T-900s entered, their plasma rifles training on the humans. Before they could fire, however, a single voice called out from behind the wall and they paused._

"_Stand down!" said an all too familiar voice._

_John staggered to his feet as a figure emerged from the fiery hole, his face shrouded by smoke at first before he stepped into the faint blue-y glow of the TDE equipment. That memorable feeling of mingled exasperation and relief seeped into John's mind as Jason stepped forward, wearing his usual sardonic grin. He eyed up the TDE device and nodded to himself before turning back to the General._

"_It's done?" he asked simply._

_John nodded; "It's done."_

_Jason then placed two fingers on a communiqué in his left ear and spoke very clearly to his contact:_

"_This is a general order to all combat units: cease fire immediately and await further instructions. The war is over."_

_Behind him, the T-900s eyes fell dead and their rifles hung at their sides as they powered down upon the Infiltrator's command. With Skynet gone, its influence over the machines was severed, and so they would turn to the "intelligence units" for instructions and authority. By escaping to a past that would see its own destruction, Skynet had also thrown the towel for the war. And all across the battlefield, the armies of Skynet ground to a complete halt upon Jason's command._

_John let out another sigh as he repeated the mantra in his head; _it's over, it's over, it's over.

"_By the way, I'm done being your babysitter. You can have her back now", Jason said, breaking John's train of thought._

"_Driving me up the wall…" the T-999 muttered as he stepped aside, allowing John a clear view of the hole in the wall as two figures emerged. He could hardly believe his eyes after all this time as Cameron smiled at him from across the room. She looked as beautiful as ever, completely flawless in every way. She could say the same about him, if it were appropriate in open company. _

_Stepping up beside her stood a slightly shorter girl with the same colour hair and greenish-blue eyes. Her face lit up at the sight of him and she hurtled across the room in a second, embracing John so hard that he could've sworn he felt a rib snap. But he didn't care. Tears of pure joy welled in his eyes as he told her how much he'd missed her. He hadn't felt this happy for almost 22 years as she whispered:_

"_I missed you too, Daddy."_

_To be continued…_


	10. Union

**Chapter 10: Union**

Arrowhead was like most other places the Connors had chosen to settle in. Secluded, sheltered, far from the eyes of the law, or anyone else for that matter. The decision of where to move now that their old place in the Calabasas Highlands was no longer secure was the subject of much debate and controversy, all of which was not helped in the least by Cameron's constant insistence for a move to Canada.

However, Sarah maintained that they needed to stick close to the city central and continue their hunt for the infantile Skynet. Though John had pointed out that Skynet was already destroyed, she would not be content until she crushed the computer a second time; before it could commit genocide and reduce humanity to a shadow of its former self.

So it was that she chose the remote wilderness of Arrowhead, remembering the area well from her brief visit to Dr. Silberman's cabin. Though not willing to associate herself with that lunatic (the irony of her opinion not lost on her), she chose a large cabin deep within the woodlands and high hills. No one could find it unless they already knew its location, or had a helicopter handy.

That said, she certainly made sure to test its approachability many times before purchasing the new safe-house.

Several long weeks had passed since the struggle within Serrano Point. None of them had forgotten the trauma they'd suffered, and the wounds that refused to heal. Luckily for them all, the plant had refrained from melting down, sparing them the futility of dying in a radioactive blaze of glory. But even as they settled into their new life, there was a definite sense of uncertainty amongst them.

A secret was being kept, and it was only a matter of time before it came out into the open.

--

She was a perfect picture of serenity, beauty, and the beaming sun itself.

But watching the cyborg sitting on the bench outside, her eyes turned towards the distant sky, Sarah couldn't help but wonder why Skynet would ever create such a being. To assassinate her son, sure, but why like that? Surely there were others John trusted enough to keep at his side in the future. But maybe there weren't any others. What if she was his only friend among those under his command?

That thought alone brought a great deal of sadness to Sarah's heart.

She knew being the saviour of mankind would be a burden far greater than any she could ever appreciate, but all this time she had taken comfort in the belief that he wouldn't have to share this pain alone. But would sharing it with a machine truly make it any easier? Sarah's left brow twitched as she considered this, for a part of her already knew the answer, but the problem was she didn't like what it told her.

While Sarah watched from the kitchen window, Cameron's attention shot from the sky to the approach of a truck as it pulled into the drive and came to a rumbling stop. She narrowed her eyes at it for a moment before returning her gaze back to the horizon, unconcerned by the arrival. Sarah needn't ask herself who it was, for the heavy footfalls of Derek's approach were all she needed to know it was him.

He shouldered the door open gruffly as he stomped onto the threshold, his muddy boots leaving dark brown marks on the hardwood floor while he dumped a bag full of weapons and munitions on the kitchen table, sparing only the smallest glance at Sarah.

"I guess you've never heard of wiping your feet then", she sniped, inclining her head towards the mud patches on the floor.

Derek regarded them with little concern and simply shrugged in his reply; "You haven't put the rug down yet."

_Typical Derek_, she mused as her gaze slid over to the rug folded by the bookcase in the dining room. Deciding it would be futile to point out that John was supposed to put it down, she turned her attention to the bag of weaponry he was now unloading onto the table. A typical array of rifles and handguns greeted her as Derek laid each one across the cedar surface, placing a box of ammo next to each one as he systematically popped the cartridges from each and loaded the bullets inside.

"So I take it Jason was compliant then?" she posited, picking up a Glock and checking the chamber for clearance.

Derek tapped the top of a rifle and held it into his shoulder as he aimed down the barrel towards a pile of apples in a dish on the worktop. "He wasn't too pleased about me borrowing his weapons. But Sophie put in a good word. Wasn't all that hard, really", he recalled, placing the rifle back onto the tabletop once satisfied. "Actually, I don't think we'll have to worry about them at all from now on", he added.

"Why? Did you kill 'em?" Sarah chuckled hopefully.

Derek grinned but shook his head dismissively; "Nah, I just don't think we need to worry about them being a threat anymore."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you. We can't let our guard down for one instant. Not with him", she replied, regarding the Glock carefully while she spoke. Derek simply shrugged and tucked his favourite Beretta in his belt, being sure to thumb the safety on before doing so.

"I guess you're right. Bastard seems to be back to his usual wise-ass self nowadays anyway", he conceded. Sarah allowed herself a small sardonic smile as the possibility of blasting that cocky grin off Jason's face started to greatly appeal. "But he says he's gonna stay in the city and keep his ear to the ground in case Skynet pokes its head out into the open. You never know; he might make himself useful", Derek mused, opening another box of 9mm ammunition.

"Maybe…" Sarah replied distantly as the sound of John thundering down the stairs stole her attention.

He jumped the last two steps and trotted into the kitchen, a noticeable bounce in his step as he approached the gun-laden table.

"You're in a good mood", his mother observed as he admired the arsenal laid out before him. John responded with a smile of content as he looked around the cosy interior of the kitchen.

"Well maybe because I feel good. It's nice not to have any worries for a change", he commented.

"What like the end of the world in a year's time?" she replied, dispelling John's buoyancy for a brief moment.

"Always the optimist, hey Mom?" he countered dryly before opening the front door and stepping outside.

Sarah watched as he walked straight over to the bench and tapped its back, catching Cameron's attention as he told her something with a coy smile. Cameron smiled up at him and tapped the space beside her, inviting him to sit with her. Sarah couldn't bring herself to watch anymore as she was sure it would only upset her further. For the past month she had tried desperately to forget what the cyborg had revealed to her in the power plant.

It didn't make any sense, and Cameron's speculation only worsened her uneasiness with the situation. The question she had asked herself incessantly was how she felt about it all. On the one hand it disgusted her, but on the other it intrigued her somewhat, and what disturbed her more than anything else was the small glimmer of pride she felt. Pride for an abomination spawned from her son and the machine.

Derek threw the last weapon back into the bag and hauled them to the trunk in the lounge, leaving her alone with her thoughts, which unwittingly lingered on the mud stains on the kitchen floor.

Sarah could only sigh.

--

The sun was warm and soothing to her skin as a gentle breeze blew a strand of hair across her face, tickling her cheeks and nose. She heard him before he arrived, but pretended to feign ignorance until he tapped on the back of the bench. Tearing her eyes away from the blue sky, she regarded him with a soft welcoming smile.

"I suppose this is what you mean by 'feeling what it's like to get away from it all', huh?" he quipped.

Her smile broadened as she placed a hand on the space beside her, shuffling over a little to make room as he sat down and looked out upon the hills in the distance and the low sun setting there. Looking back at Cameron, he found himself comparing her to an angel as the sun illuminated her body. Closer attention alerted him to the pink top she wore, almost identical to the one she donned back in 1997.

Her hair was down just like then too, and her blue jeans were all too similar. John couldn't help but wonder if she had chosen her attire for the purpose of inducing nostalgia into him. Were it the case, he found it to be a very touching gesture of hers. They didn't say anything for some time as they both watched the sun gradually slide behind the hills. It wasn't until a full half had disappeared that Cameron spoke.

"Do you remember your birthday?"

John jumped a little at her voice, for he had become lost in the moment, but smiled and raised an eyebrow upon replaying her words in his head. "My eighteenth? Oh, I remember it quite well", he answered slyly. Cameron did not return his smile, however, and looked past him, her gaze fixed on the setting sun.

"You showed me many things that night. Gave me things I've never…" she trailed off. John waited patiently for her to continue as she stared into the distance blankly, but after a long moment had passed, he took her hand and spoke her name softly. This seemed to shake her out of her reverie as she turned ever so slowly to look at him, her expression unreadable.

She had no idea how to tell him. No clue as to which tack to adopt. So she decided it better to tell him straight. To tell him…

"John?"

"Yes?" he asked as her fingers closed around his firmly.

"There's something I have to tell you…"

THE END

_The story will be concluded in Hope… please be patient..._


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